The western tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) belongs to the family Phasianidae. The western tragopans are distributed in Indus–Kohistan district in Pakistan and Uttarakhand State in North-western India. It is possible that they may visit adjacent Tibet region of China.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had categorized and evaluated these pheasant species and had listed them as 'Vulnerable'.
These birds are medium sized and males are brightly colored. The males are larger, measuring 65 to 75 cm in length and weighing 1800 to 2200 grams. The female birds measure 60 cm in length and weigh 1200 to 1500 grams. The males are dark and have numerous white spots on the plume. They have crimson patch covering either side and back of the neck. The throat is bare with blue skin and the facial skin is red.
They inhabit mountainous upper temperate forests and found between 2,400 and 3,600 meters in summer and in winter come down to coniferous and broad-leaved forests at an elevation of 2,000 to 2,800 meters. They feed on leaves, shoots, buds, seeds and insects. They roost in trees. The breeding season is May–June. They nest in hollows of trees and the nest may contain about six eggs.
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| Indian birds - Western tragopan |
| Biological classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Phasianinae |
| Genus: | Tragopan |
| Species: | T. melanocephalus |
| Binomial name: | Tragopan melanocephalus |
| Distribution: | Pakistan, North-western India |
| Feeding habits: | seeds, insects, roots, leaves, shoots; |
| IUCN status listing: | Vulnerable |
Image source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WesternTragopan.jpg
Author: Archibald Thorburn | License: Public domain
Current topic in Birds of India: Western tragopan.
