White Crested Kalij Pheasant

Measurements:

Ali and Ripley (1978) reported that males of leucomelana weigh from 11 Ib  to 21 Ib. (c. 795-1140 g), and that males of melanota weigh from 2 Ib 6 oz to 2| Ib (c. 1080-1150 g), while females weigh from 1 Ib 14 oz to 2i Ib (c. 848-925 g). Baker (1928) gave the weights of hamiltoni as 2 Ib 6 oz in males and li-2i  Ib in females, those of leucomelana as lf-2tz Ib in males, and those of melanota as 2 Ib 6 oz-2f Ib in Adult malemales and 1 Ib 14 oz-2^ Ib in females.  The eggs of melanota average 48.7 X 37.3 mm and have an estimated fresh weight of 37.4 g. 

 

Description: 

Adult male
Top of the head and elongate crest black, glossed with purplish blue; back and sides of the neck, back, rump, upper tail-coverts, lesser and median wing-coverts, and scapulars finely vermiculated with alternate black and white lines running chiefly across the feathers; primaries and their coverts blackish brown; secondaries and secondary coverts black, all with obliquely-irregular white lines; chin, throat, forepart of neck, and rest of underparts black with a slight blue gloss; the feathers on the sides of the breast always have white shaft-stripes. Middle pair of tail feathers dirty white, more or less vermiculated with black on the outer web except at the extremity; rest of the feathers obliquely vermiculated with black and white, the black gradually increasing and the white diminishing on each successive feather, so that the outer pair are black, obliquely vermiculated with white. Bill bluish or brownish horny; facial skin blood-red; legs and feet fleshy brown; iris brownish yellow.

Female
Top of the head and crest tinged with rufous, rest of the upperparts olive-brown,- most of the feathers of the mantle with V-shaped white marks narrowly edged with black; inner webs of the primaries and secondaries brown; the outer webs of the latter slightly mottled with whitish buff along the margin; sides of the neck with triangular white spots; chin, throat, and forepart of neck whitish; rest of the underparts brownish chestnut, each feather with a pointed white shaft-stripe margined with black. Middle pair of tail feathers buff, mottled on the outer web and also slightly on the inner with black; the six outer pairs are reddish brown, with wide irregular white bars mottled and widely margined with black; the second pair have the basal two-thirds like the outer pairs, and the terminal third buff mottled with black like the middle pair. Soft parts as in male but duller

Habitats, Population densities and Conservation Status
The nine subspecies of kalij pheasants recognized by Delacour occur over an extremely wide range of habitats and elevations, from nearly sea level to at least 11 000 ft, and in a variety of tropical to montane forest habitats. Beginning in the western edge of the species' range, the white-crested kalij occurs from 1200 to 11 000 ft, but is most common between 3000 and 7000 ft, and may be found lower in winter and higher in summer. In these medium elevations the dominant trees are pines (mainly Pinus longifolia), especially below 6000 ft, while from about 5000 to 9000 ft oak forests (especially Queicus incana] predominate. Of the two low altitude species found in the NWFP, the White Crested Kalij (L.leucomela hamiltoni) has the most southerly distribution. It extends from the Siran and Kaghan Valleys in Hazara district into the Margalla Hills just north of the capital Islamabad, where it is relatively common. It extends into Azad Kashmir, with good population in AYubia National Park, where atleast 30 breeding pairs are present. 

Although it is possible that some races of this species may be rather rare, the total overall distribution is great, and the birds seem to do well in a variety of both original and disturbed habitat types. The birds seem to withstand hunting fairly well (Bump and Bohl 1961), and also are highly adaptable and resistant to habitat changes (Yonzon and Lelliott 1981). But, this information is not true for Pakistan, where the Khalij pheasant has a very limited habitat and is only locally common.

Cheer Pheasant

Cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichi)

Status
Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007 and listed on Appendix I of CITES

Range
Native to the southern foothills of the western Himalayas, from north Pakistan, through Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, India, east to central Nepal

Descripton
Although perhaps rather drab in comparison to other pheasant species, the cheer pheasant is no less distinctive, with a narrow, brown hair-like crest a distinguishing feature. The male cheer pheasant has red facial skin, buff-grey plumage with black bars and markings, and a long tail, strongly barred with buff, black and brown. The female is smaller than the male, somewhat duller in plumage and more heavily marked, with reduced red facial skin, a shorter crest and lacking the male’s spurs.

Western Horned Tragopan

Western tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus)

status
Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007

Range
Endemic to the western Himalayas from the Kohistan district of north Pakistan, east through Kashmir into Himachal Pradesh and possibly Uttaranchal, north-west India.biggest population is Pakistan is in PALLAS valley

Description
The darkest of all tragopans , males of this species are mostly greyish-black, ornately spotted with round, black-bordered white dots , and possess a conspicuous red collar, upper breast, and facial skin . Like other tragopans, males also boast a short crest along their crown, two brightly-coloured fleshy horns that become erect during courtship, and a brilliantly coloured bib-like lappet that hangs from the throat. The vivid blue lappet has purplish-blue markings down the centre, and pinkish-red patches at the margins, with pale blue indentations, and is expanded and exposed during courtship display. Females are more brownish grey, both above and below, and lack the colourful adornments of the male.

Himalayan Monal

Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus)

Status
Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List 2006 and listed on Appendix I of CITES

Range
Found in the Himalayas from eastern Afghanistan to Bhutan, northeast India and southern Tibet; the Himalayan monal has also been reported from Burma. In pakistan it is found on the belt of nelum jehlum valley and kaghan area .

Description
A stunningly colourful member of the pheasant family, the Himalayan monal is the national bird of Nepal. The iridescent rainbow-like plumage of the male is surpassed only by the slightly larger Chinese monal (Lophophorus lhuysii). The male Himalayan monal possesses a wiry, metallic green head-crest that is absent in other monal species, as well as a chestnut brown tail, light brown wings and a white rump that is visible in flight. The head is bright green, the eyes ringed with blue and the neck reddish brown. At the nape of the neck is a yellow patch which forms the top edge of the bluish black wings and the purplish black back. The breast is dark brown and the tail feathers are light brown. Females do not share the same splendour as males, with overall dark brown feathers, except for a white throat and rump patch, and the bright blue circle around the eyes. The female also has a crest, but whereas the male’s is green and has spoon-shaped feathers, the female’s is shorter, and brown with ordinary feathers