He possesses a multi-colored plumage throughout his body which consists of interspersing mix green, purple, red and blue. The iridescent rainbow-like plumage of the male Himalayan monal is surpassed only by the slightly larger Chinese Monal. It’s a resident of the Himalayas, from eastern Afghanistan to western China. It is thought to bring status to its wearer and is a symbol of authority.The Himalayan Monal, also regionally known as the Impeyan Monal or the Impeyan Pheasant, is a stunningly colorful member of the Pheasant family. The main threat to the species is poaching, as the crest is valuable. In some areas, the population density of the species is as high as five pairs per square mile. The pheasant is not considered endangered in Pakistan and can be easily located. The male monal was under hunting pressure in Himachal Pradesh, where the crest feather was used to decorate men's hats, until 1982, when hunting was banned in the state. In the western Himalayas, the local monal population responded negatively to human disturbance involving hydroelectric power development. In some areas, the species is threatened due to poaching and other anthropogenic factors. In winter they congregate in large coveys and roost communally. The breeding season is April through August, and they generally form pairs at this time. It tolerates snow and digs through it to obtain plant roots and invertebrate prey. It descends to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in the winter. It lives in upper temperate oak- conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows between 2,400 and 4,500 m (7,900 and 14,800 ft), where it is most common between 2,700 and 3,700 m (8,900 and 12,100 ft). In India, it has been recorded throughout the Himalayan region, from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. In Pakistan, it is most common in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has also been recorded in Kaghan, Palas Valley, and Azad Kashmir. The Himalayan monal's native range extends from Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Himalayas in India, Nepal, southern Tibet, and Bhutan. The female also has a crest, but whereas the male's is green and has spoon-shaped feathers, the female's is shorter, and brown with ordinary feathers (2) (4). Females do not share the same splendour as males, with overall dark brown feathers, except for a white throat and rump patch, and the bright blue circle around the eyes. The breast is dark brown and the tail feathers are light brown. At the nape of the neck is a yellow patch which forms the top edge of the bluish black wings and the purplish black back. The head is bright green, the eyes ringed with blue and the neck reddish brown. The male Himalayan monal possesses a wiry, metallic green head-crest that is absent in other monal species, as well as a chestnut brown tail, light brown wings and a white rump that is visible in flight. The iridescent rainbow-like plumage of the male is surpassed only by the slightly larger Chinese monal ( Lophophorus lhuysii). This method of foraging leaves conspicuous areas of turned over soil up to 25 cm deep on hillsides (2).Ī stunningly colourful member of the pheasant family, the Himalayan monal is the national bird of Nepal. Like many of the pheasants, quails and partridges in the Phasianidae family, the Himalayan monal has very strong legs and a long, curved beak which together enable it to dig into the hard soil of the mountains to uncover seeds, tubers, shoots, berries, and insects. After six months the young are completely independent and must search for food and mates alone (5). The female must incubate the eggs alone, but the male will stand guard throughout the 27-day incubation period and until fledging to protect the eggs and chicks from predators. Once a female notices his display they mate and shortly afterwards she scrapes a nest in the ground and lays between three and five eggs. The male switches from calling only in the early morning to calling throughout the day. The breeding season begins in April when the monals are at higher altitudes. Males also use body displays to attract females bobbing the head-crest and fanning their tail feathers. A highly communicative bird, the Himalayan monal uses several different call types to express meaning to its mate, other birds in its foraging group, or intruding birds.
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