During this time the male always remains near the nest for protection. After the mating the female scrapes a nest in the ground and lays 3 to 5 eggs which she incubates for 27 days. Himalayan monals are monogamous and form strong pair bonds during the breeding season which takes place from April through August. They feed on various insects, seeds, tubers, roots, and berries. Himalayan monals are carnivores (insectivores) and herbivores (granivores, frugivores). Himalayan monals are very communicative and use a wide range of calls to express aggression, alarm, or when trying to attract the mate. They also tolerate snow and dig through it to obtain plant roots and invertebrate prey. Monals are very good diggers using their curved bills to dig under the ground. These birds are active during the day and spend most of their time foraging. In winter they usually congregate in large coveys and roost communally. Himalayan monals are social birds that are often seen in pairs or small groups. They live in upper temperate oak-conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs, and alpine meadows. In Pakistan, these birds are most common in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and have also been recorded in Kaghan, Palas Valley, and Azad Kashmir. The native range of Himalayan monals extends from Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Himalayas in India, Nepal, southern Tibet, and Bhutan. The first-year male and the juvenile resemble the female, but the first-year male is larger and the juvenile is less distinctly marked.
HIMALAYAN MONAL PHEASANT. PATCH
The female has a prominent white patch on the throat and a white stripe on the tail. The tail feathers of the male are uniformly rufous, becoming darker towards the tips, whereas the lower tail coverts of females are white, barred with black and red. Notable features in the male include a long, metallic green crest, coppery feathers on the back and neck, and a prominent white rump that is most visible when the bird is in flight. The adult male has multicolored plumage throughout, while the female, as in other pheasants, is more subdued in color. Uttaranchal (P.G.The Himalayan monal is a large colorful pheasant native to Himalayan forests. In the western Himalayas, the local monal population responded negatively due to human disturbances.īy – Assistant Professor – Dr. The species is threatened due to poaching and other anthropogenic factors. Eggs are incubated by female, but the male will stand guard throughout the incubation period and until fledging to protect the eggs and chicks from predators. Eggs 2 to 5 white or dirty white, with brown spots and paler appearance and the incubation period is between 26 to 29 days. The nest is a simple scrape under some feature such as a bush preferably on a steep hillside. Males use body displays to attract females, bobbing the head-crest and fanning their tail feathers. BEST AGRICULTURE COLLEGE IN DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND,INDIA The female also has a crest, but whereas the male is green and has spoon-shaped feathers, the female’s is shorter and brown with ordinary feathers. The tail feathers of the male are uniformly rufous, becoming darker towards the tips, whereas the lower tail coverts of females are white, barred with black. The tail feathers are uniformly being darker towards the tips.
HIMALAYAN MONAL PHEASANT. SKIN
They have bare patch of turquoise blue skin around the eye.
The head is bright green, and the males have a metallic-green crest on top of their heads. They chestnut brown tail, light brown wings and a white rump that is visible in flight. At the nape of the neck is a bright yellow patch which forms the top edge of the bluish black wings and the purplish black back. Himalayan monal is a high-altitude bird, remaining between 20 meters above sea level. Generally, they found single or in pairs and prefer open, coniferous or mixed forests resplendent with rhododendron and bamboo. Himalayan monal is a colorful bird having size between 60 to 72 cm and weight of adult is between 1.70 to 2.40 kg. Himalayan monal or Impeyan monal or Impeyan pheasant is the state bird of Uttarakhand.
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