The kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos), belongs to the family Phasianidae. The kalij pheasants are distributed in foothills of Himalayas, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand. There are nine subspecies of these pheasants.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had categorized and evaluated these pheasant species and had listed them as of 'Least Concern'.
The subspecies L. l. hamiltonii occurs in India, Nepal and Pakistan. The subspecies L. l. leucomelanos is found in Nepal. L. l. melanota occurs in India, Bhutan and Nepal. The subspecies L. l. moffitti is found in Nepal. L. l. lathami occurs in Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. L. l. williamsi occurs in Myanmar and India. The subspecies L. l. oatesi occurs in Myanmar. L. l. lineata occurs in Myanmar and Thailand. The subspecies L. l. crawfurdii occurs in Myanmar and Thailand.
The kalij pheasants are medium sized birds, males measuring 60 to 75 cm in length and weigh 800 to 1150 grams. The females are smaller measuring 50 to 60 cm in length and weigh 500 to 1000 grams. The males have glossy bluish black plumage and the females are brown. The bare facial skin is red in color. They inhabit evergreen and deciduous forests. They feed on roots, seeds, small reptiles, insects and forest yams. They breed during May and June.
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| Indian bird - Kalij pheasant -Lophura leucomelanos |
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| Lophura leucomelanos by tinyfroglet | CC BY 2.0 |
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| Lophura leucomelanos by Jason Thompson | CC BY 2.0 |
| Biological classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Phasianinae |
| Genus: | Lophura |
| Species: | L. leucomelanos |
| Binomial name: | Lophura leucomelanos |
| Distribution: | Himalayan foothills, Nepal and western Thailand |
| Feeding habits: | berries, seed pods; |
| IUCN status listing: | Least Concern |
Image source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kalij_Pheasant_(Lophura_leucomelanos).jpg
http://flickr.com/photos/64565252@N00/2435806401
Author: Lip Kee Yap | License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Current topic: Kalij pheasant - Lophura leucomelanos.