![]() The young become completely independent at around six months of age. He continues to protect the young until they fledge. ![]() ![]() Following mating the female lays 3-5 eggs in a shallow scrape, incubating them for 27 days with the male standing guard over her throughout this period. The male begins calling throughout the day, using a bobbing body display to attract a female. Their breeding season begins in April while they are still at high altitude. The Himalayan monal is preyed up on by large birds of prey and the snow leopard. This leads to areas in their range which show distinctive signs of feeding. They forage throughout the day and dig extensively with their bills often up to 25cm deep. They feed on seeds, tubers, shoots, berries, insects and their larvae. They normally live in the steep sided forested valleys in winter but when summer comes they move to higher altitude, often above the tree line. The Himalayan monal lives in the coniferous and open forests at high altitude. The male has an iridescent multi-coloured plumage while the female, like all female pheasants, is much drabber. It is delightfully colourful and also of reasonably large size. Contents, 1 Gallery, 1.1 TV Shows, 1.2 Video Games, 1. It is part of the family Phasianidae and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. They are big gentle birds and many hens will become very tame.This stunningly striking member of the pheasant family is, as its name suggests, found living throughout the Himalayan mountains. The Himalayan Monal is a pheasant endemic to the Himalayan region. The Himalayan monal, also known as the Impeyan monal and Impeyan pheasant, is a pheasant native to Himalayan forests and shrublands at elevations of 2,1004,500 m. Overall, the Himalayan Monal is a wonderful addition to the aviary and despite being a primarily montane species, they have adapted well to many climates and do very well in the aviary. Most aviculturists keep this species in pairs, although it is believed they are polygamous in the wild. This species has been quite susceptible to the West Nile Virus in the United States and several have been lost to the disease in the last few years. They can tolerate cold weather very well, but need plenty of shelter and shade from the hot summer sun as they are birds from the cool mountain forests and unable to withstand extreme heat. They do best on sandy soil that is easy to dig, but do be sure to keep it dry. Like the Eared-Pheasants and Cheer, they love to dig with their strong bills and will often destroy the grass, shrubs and other greenery in the aviary. Aviculture Notes: Impeyans need to housed in a large, well-drained aviary. Status in Aviculture: The Himalayan Monal is the most commonly kept species of the genus Lophophorus and are well established in North American and European aviaries. Commonly called the Impeyan after Lady Impey who first kept them in captivity. Interesting Facts: The national bird of Nepal. Status in Wild: Considered stable throughout much of its range, but may have been eliminated in Afganistan. First year males resemble the hens, but are larger and have black feathers on the neck and breast. Hens also have the blue patch around the eyes. Her throat is white and she has a short crest. They are basically mottled brown overall, with black, buff and white streaks. The male also has a bare patch of turquoise blue skin around the eye.The hens, while much duller than the male, are still attractive. You can see from the photograph on the right, that the males also have a very long crest, much like a peacock. The breast and underparts are black and the tail is copper. Habitat: Mountainous regions in summer, they are found in rocky, grass covered meadows and winters in coniferous and mixed forests.ĭescription: The males are adorned with beautiful metallic colors of green, purple, red and blue they also have a large white patch on the rump. Subspecies: None recognized at this time, but current studies may place birds in northwestern India has a new subspecies as they lack the white rump and have more green on breast. Range: The Himalayas, from eastern Afghanistan to western China Other Names: Impeyan Pheasant, Impeyan Monal
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