Himalayan Monal Lophophorus impejanus Scientific name definitions

Male 70–72 cm, male 1980–2380 g; female 63–64 cm, c. 1800–2150 g (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Male differs from those of other monals by peculiar wirey crest and all-rufous tail , although confusion with another Lophophorus is only possible in NE India/Tibet/Myanmar border region (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 2 Choudhury, A. (2009). New easterly locations of Impeyan Monal Lophophorus impejanus from Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Birds. 5(6): 183–184. Close ); chestnut wings and (normally) white rump/lower back very conspicuous in flight , but not always very noticeable at rest, even if present (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Variation among males in several traits; green-breasted, dark-rumped morph frequent in Kashmir. Female differs from those of other monals, particularly L. sclateri, especially in pattern on underparts and colour of tail barring ; also has more or less prominent crest, and generally rather more uniform plumage , but over much of range present species will only require separating from same-sex Tragopan spp. or Pucrasia macrolopha (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Bill greyish horn (paler in female) with enlarged and strongly decurved maxilla , turquoise-blue  bare periorbital skin and dark grey (male) to yellowish-green legs (female); male has single, small tarsal spur, female none (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). First-year male is intermediate between adults of the two sexes, being larger than female, with variable number of black feathers on foreneck and metallic purple on upperparts (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile very similar to female but markings somewhat less distinct, while young males differ from young females in having some black spots on throat and a substantially darker-looking breast (3 North, P. and Corder, J. (2013). Determining the sex of Himalayan monals. Int. Newsl. World Pheasant Assoc. 90: 8–9. Close ).

NE Afghanistan E along Himalayas to Bhutan and NE India, and N into S Tibet and NW Yunnan (S China) (5 Ziran, D. (2001). First record of Himalayan Monal for China. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 34: 48. Close ) and NE Myanmar (around Putao).

Inhabits open coniferous or mixed forests with rhododendron and bamboo understorey, usually in steep valleys; also recorded in and around cultivation, meadows and clearings (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) in some areas. Roosts in trees. Above treeline in summer , but down to 2500 m and lower in winter; altitudinal range generally 2100–4500 m, but recorded to 1900 in Arunachal Pradesh (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); in Tibet recorded at 3800–4300 m in summer and at 3200–3500 m in winter (6 Ma, X., Gao, J. and Yu, X. (2011). Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus): distribution, habitat and population status in Tibet, China. Chinese Birds. 2(3): 157–162. Close ).

Believed to show largest altitudinal movement of all Himalayan pheasants. In Himachal Pradesh, NW India, found above 3000 m in Dec–Jan, descending to c. 2300 m in Feb, then returning upslope in Mar, reaching c. 3500 m in Apr (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); in Pakistan at 2300–3500 m in spring and at 2000–2500 m in winter (7 Raja, N. A., P. Davidson, N. Bean, R. Drijvers, D. A. Showler, and C. Barker (1999). The birds of Palas, North-west Frontier Province, Pakistan. Forktail 15: 77–85. Close ); in Nepal descends from summer altitude of 4350 m to 3200 m in winter. Possibly performs more reduced movements in E of range. See Family Text.

Diet apparently varies according to locality, but includes seeds, tubers, shoots, berries (e.g. Cotoneaster microphylla), insects and their larvae; terrestrial insects and tubers believed to make up most of food taken. Digs extensively with bill, up to depth of 25 cm, creating distinctive dug-over areas on hillsides. In Nepal, 26 droppings contained only vegetable matter. Species forages throughout day, sometimes in loose groups (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). In Tibet, visits monasteries to take food (e.g. highland barley, tsamb and ghee) put out by monks (6 Ma, X., Gao, J. and Yu, X. (2011). Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus): distribution, habitat and population status in Tibet, China. Chinese Birds. 2(3): 157–162. Close ).

During breeding season and earlier, mainly from dawn to mid morning and again around dusk, male gives  somewhat Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)-like “kur-lieu  ” or “kleeh-wick”, with each whistle separated by a single, high-pitched note; both sexes also give ringing double-noted whistle in alarm, “kleeh-wick, kleeh-wick” (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Dawn calling occurs sporadically throughout most of year, but perhaps more predictably in Jan–Jun; display by males observed in Apr, May and once in Sept, at any time of day. In India, egg records from mid Apr to late June; in Bhutan, nest with five eggs in early Jun (8 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ). Breeding can occur at various altitudes (2100–4500 m reported) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but upper altitudes believed to be far more typical. Mating system unclear, but polygamy suspected, given frequent observations in breeding season of groups of up to four birds, of which only one is male (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), although a group of 12 males and several males has been seen in early Apr in Bhutan (8 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ), and recent spring surveys of the Great Himalayan National Park, India, most frequently recorded the species alone or in pairs, while larger groups tended to have equal sex composition or slightly more females than males (9 Miller, J.R.B. (2010). Survey of Western Tragopan, Koklass Pheasant, and Himalayan Monal populations in the Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh, India. Indian Birds. 6(3): 1–6. Close ). Courtship display involves male fanning tail, drooping wings and parading in front of female ; also a flight display in which male glides with spread tail, the wings held above the body, calling (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Nest a simple scrape under some feature, such as a bush, on a steep hillside; often unlined; one nest was 39 cm wide and 3 cm deep (6 Ma, X., Gao, J. and Yu, X. (2011). Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus): distribution, habitat and population status in Tibet, China. Chinese Birds. 2(3): 157–162. Close ). Normally 3–5 pale yellowish or reddish-buff eggs, with reddish-brown markings (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) (2–8), with records of larger clutch size considered suspect; incubation 27 days (in captivity); chicks have chocolate and rufous down above, dirty white below with darker flanks. No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Mace Lande: safe. CITES I. A widely distributed species that is still common throughout its range (c. 480,000 km²) in suitable habitat. In some areas of Kulu Valley in Himachal Pradesh, NW India, > 70 individuals encountered per 100 hours of fieldwork, and the species is one of the most frequently hunted galliformes in this state (10 Kaul, R., Jandrotia, H.J.S. and McGowan, P.J.K. (2004). Hunting of large mammals and pheasants in the Indian western Himalaya. Oryx. 38(4): 426–431. Close ). Considered fairly common in North-West Frontier province, Pakistan (7 Raja, N. A., P. Davidson, N. Bean, R. Drijvers, D. A. Showler, and C. Barker (1999). The birds of Palas, North-west Frontier Province, Pakistan. Forktail 15: 77–85. Close ). National bird of Nepal, where it is a common resident; at Pipar in WC Nepal, a population of 6–9 pairs was estimated within a 1·5 km² study area, giving density of 4–6 pairs/km². Recorded from several sites in Tibet, at edge of range, with densities of up to 2·03 individuals/km² and a total population of c. 1000 individuals (6 Ma, X., Gao, J. and Yu, X. (2011). Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus): distribution, habitat and population status in Tibet, China. Chinese Birds. 2(3): 157–162. Close ), and recently discovered (Feb 2001) at one locality in China, in NW Yunnan, based on a hunted individual (5 Ziran, D. (2001). First record of Himalayan Monal for China. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 34: 48. Close ); occurred throughout Bhutan in 1930s, where it remains reasonably widespread and common, but scarcer in E of country (8 Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan: Status and Distribution. Oriental Bird Club, Bedford, UK. Close ). Just one record from Myanmar (in 1969). Recorded from many protected areas, including Shey-Phoksundo (11 Priemé, A. and Øksnebjerg, B. (1994). The avifauna and conservation value of Shey-Phoksundo National Park, Nepal. Forktail 1121: 33–48. Close ), Khaptad and Langtang National Parks (Nepal), Machiara Wildlife Sanctuary (Pakistan) and Nanda Devi, Great Himalayan (where abundant and numbers have apparently increased) (12 Gaston, A.J., Garson, P.J. and Pandey, S. (1993). Birds recorded in Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh, India. Forktail. 9: 45–57. Close , 9 Miller, J.R.B. (2010). Survey of Western Tragopan, Koklass Pheasant, and Himalayan Monal populations in the Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh, India. Indian Birds. 6(3): 1–6. Close ) and Khangchendzonga National Parks (India) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); in Nanda Devi, the species is now the commonest galliform in the park and appears to have thrived since the area was protected (13 Sankaran, R. (1994). Ornithological survey of Nanda Devi National Park, India. Forktail 10:115–128. Close ). Tree harvesting and general degradation of habitat are problems in many areas, as is over-exploitation for food (perhaps extirpated in Afghanistan as a result) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), even within some protected areas (2 Choudhury, A. (2009). New easterly locations of Impeyan Monal Lophophorus impejanus from Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Birds. 5(6): 183–184. Close ), where the species may be targeted using snare traps (11 Priemé, A. and Øksnebjerg, B. (1994). The avifauna and conservation value of Shey-Phoksundo National Park, Nepal. Forktail 1121: 33–48. Close ). In Kulu Valley, male’s crest was sought in order to adorn hats, but this practice seems to have become much less common during last ten years.