Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus Scientific name definitions

Male 68·5–73 cm (tail 22–25 cm), 1800–2150 g; female c. 60 cm (tail 19–20 cm), 1250–1400 g. Larger male is darkest Tragopan; red restricted mainly to neck and upper breast . Female  greyish brown with black ocellus-like patches above, and small round white spots below. Iris brown, bill black with paler tip in male or horn-brown in female, facial skin orange-red (male only), and legs pinkish (paler in non-breeding season and female); male has tiny blue spots below eye, bare blue throat, blue-green cheeks, inflatable blue horns and inflatable pink throat lappet (purple-blue in centre) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). First-year male similar to adult female in coloration, but markings more like those of adult male; larger and longer-legged than female (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile reportedly much like female (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Disjunct distribution in NW Himalayas from N Pakistan (Indus–Kohistan district) to NW India E to W Uttarakhand (Garhwal); possibly E to Kumaon (E Uttarakhand) and adjacent SW Tibet.

Apparently found only in climax, transitional moist or dry temperate forest, typically of brown oak (Quercus semecarpifolia) or holly oak (Quercus baloot) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and conifers, with dense understorey, generally between c. 1735 m (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) in winter and 3600 m in summer, with single claim as low as 1350 m (see Movements). Habitat in one area of Pakistan characterized by deodar (Cedrus deodara), blue pine (Pinus wallichiana), silver fir (Abies pindrow), spruce (Picea smithiana), Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana), brown oak (Quercus semecarpifolia), Himalayan maple (Acer caesium), walnut (Juglans regia), Indian horse chestnut (Aesculus indica) and Himalayan birch (Betula utilis), with a dense understorey of deciduous shrubs (Viburnum sp. and Skimmia laureola) (3 Awan, M.N. and Buner, F. (2014). Conservation of the Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus around Salkhala Game Reserve, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. BirdingASIA. 21: 107–111. Close ).

Extent of seasonal altitudinal movements uncertain. In Himachal Pradesh, NW India, believed to be fairly sedentary (4 Singh, S. and Tu, F. (2008). A preliminary survey for Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus in the Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh. Indian Birds. 4(2): 42–55. Close ); elsewhere claimed to breed above 2400 m, up to treeline, and to winter around 1350–1735 m (5 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 ) among oak (especially Quercus baloot) (5 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 ), chestnut and morenda pine, with movements downslope being precipitated by heavy snowfalls. Roosts in trees.

Few detailed observations, as extremely shy and wary (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but species believed to be primarily vegetarian, mainly eating new leaves, including those of box, oak and ringal bamboo. Other food items include roots, flowers, and some insects and grubs. Suspected to feed in trees as well as on ground . Occasionally observed feeding with other pheasants, e.g. Lophophorus impejanus, sometimes in relatively open forest glades, but more usually observed alone or in pairs (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Advertising call, given by both sexes (from Mar or Apr), usually from roost perch early morning (including when still dark) and evening (but more frequently by day during breeding season), is nasal goat-like bleating  “khuwah”, repeated 7–15 times at intervals of up to c. 5 seconds; male is generally very quiet outside nesting period; alarm  has similar quality, “waa, waa, waa” but is shorter and quicker, and accelerates with heightened anxiety; female gives clucking calls around nest (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Little information, but monogamous system assumed (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Calling heard at dawn in Mar–Jun. One nest of six eggs found in a tree hollow 3 m above ground in late May; another 13 m above ground, in Jun (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), possibly an old corvid nest, which female lined with fresh leaves and shoots (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); two other nests on ground; altitude not known. Lays 2–6 dull reddish-brown eggs spotted dark brown (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); chicks have dark rufous down above, pale buff below, like those of T. satyra, but greyer. Family parties recorded Oct (6 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 ).

VULNERABLE. Mace Lande: Vulnerable. CITES I. Conservation problems facing present species are better known than for most other species in this genus. Total population may number just c. 5000 individuals BirdLife datazone page , and is suspected to be declining. Suitable habitat lost and fragmented by disturbance and removal of understorey through livestock grazing and fodder and firewood collection; also by tree-felling and subsequent agricultural use of land. Collection of non-timber products, e.g. plants for medicinal use, may have a major effect on species during breeding season. Found in several protected areas, including the Great Himalayan National Park (where population suspected to be increasing in response to improved protection) (7 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 Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary (4 Singh, S. and Tu, F. (2008). A preliminary survey for Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus in the Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh. Indian Birds. 4(2): 42–55. Close ) in NW India, and Machiara National Park in NE Pakistan, as well as Salkhala Game Reserve, also in Pakistan, where it is reported to be common, occurring at densities of 0·8–1·6 birds/km² (8 Awan, M. N., H. Ali, and D. C. Lee (2012). An annotated checklist of birds and conservation issues in Salkhala Game Reserve, an isolated Important Bird Area in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Forktail 28: 38–43. Close ), and a community conservation awareness programme has been instituted (3 Awan, M.N. and Buner, F. (2014). Conservation of the Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus around Salkhala Game Reserve, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. BirdingASIA. 21: 107–111. Close ). Reported from just one locality in SW Tibet. Has been subject of several surveys since early 1980s, and was initial focus for the Himalayan Jungle Project in Palas Valley, North West Frontier Province, Pakistan, where largest population of species occurs (c. 500 birds (9 Eames, J. (1992). Western Tragopan update. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 16: 14-15. Close ) or c. 325 pairs (5 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 early 1990s); this is a co operative project involving BirdLife International/WWF/WPA and the government of Pakistan, amongst others; it seeks to promote local participation in conservation of an extensive tract of mid-altitude temperate forest by developing sustainable use in preference to habitat disruption through logging. A captive-breeding programme has been commenced at one facility, a studbook created and genetic analysis has revealed a genetically healthy population (10 Malviya, M., Lakshimarasimha, R., Bose, S., Dhiman, S., Nigam, P. and Ramesh, K. (2011). Stocking for the future: genetic and demographic correlates of Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus in captivity. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 108(3): 206–212. Close ).