The Himalayan monal, also known as impeyan pheasant and danphe, belongs to the Phasianidae family. The monal is the national bird of Nepal as well as the state bird of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh states of India.
In Nepal it is known as danphe and in India it is known as monal. The natural range extends eastwards from eastern Afghanistan. In the Indian subcontinent it is seen in the temperate mountainous regions of Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan.
Description
The male is slightly larger than the female. It is rather large in size and the male is about 70 centimeters long and weighs about 2000 grams.The male has multicolored plumage with metallic green crest, coppery feathers on the back and neck. The female has a prominent white strip on the tail as well as a white patch on the throat.
IUCN status
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the bird as of "Least Concern". |
| Indian bird - Himalayan monal |
| Biological classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Phasianinae |
| Genus: | Lophophorus |
| Species: | L. impejanus |
| Binomial name: | Lophophorus impejanus |
| Distribution: | eastern Afghanistan, Himalayan region in Pakistan, Kashmir region, India, Nepal, southern Tibet, and Bhutan; |
| Feeding habits: | tubers, roots, bulbs, arthropods, rodents, seeds and flowers; |
| IUCN status listing: | Least Concern |
Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lophophorus_impejanus_Zoo_DU_2.jpg
Author: H005 | License: Public domain
Current topic in Birds of India: Himalayan monal - Lophophorus impejanus.