棕尾虹雉种

生态环境

棕尾虹雉与其他虹雉属鸟类一样，活动于海拔2400-4500米（主要聚集于海拔2700-3700米的地区）的针阔混交林、针叶林、灌木丛、草甸等地带，一般在灌丛、岩石下或树洞中筑巢，冬季会下到海拔2000米左右的地方生活。

分布地域

棕尾虹雉主要生活在喜马拉雅山地区，在中国分布于西藏南部、四川等地。

特征

棕尾虹雉属于大型雉类，体长在70厘米左右。雄鸟和雌鸟分别重1980-2380克和1800-2150克。本物种雄雌异色。雄鸟成鸟通体有多种色彩。头部为铜绿色，红色羽冠较长，具匙状羽端。上体羽毛呈铜绿、紫及蓝绿等色，具有金属光泽；翅膀表面呈金属紫色，铜绿色缘。尾羽为棕红色，下体羽毛为黑褐色，嘴角褐色，脚黄绿色或褐绿色。雌鸟颜色暗淡，通体羽毛呈棕褐色，有黑色、棕色和黄色纹路。颏部、喉部及下背为白色，尾羽为棕色和黑色，尖端为白色。

食物

棕尾虹雉是植食性鸟类，它们在高山地区寻找植物的根茎为食。

濒危因素

棕尾虹雉的数量呈下降趋势，栖息地的破坏和非法捕猎是对棕尾虹雉最大的威胁。

The Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus), also called Impeyan monal, is a landfowl native to Himalayan forests and shrublands at elevations of 2,100–4,500 m (6,900–14,800 ft). It is part of the family Phasianidae and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the danphe or danfe, and state bird of Uttarakhand, India, where it is known as a monal.

The scientific name commemorates Lady Mary Impey, the wife of the British chief justice of Bengal, Sir Elijah Impey.

Description

It is a relatively large-sized landfowl, 24–30 in (61–76 cm) long and weighing 3–5 pounds (1.4–2.3 kg). The adult male has multicoloured plumage throughout, while the female, as in other landfowl, is more subdued in colour. Notable features in the male include a long, metallic green crest, coppery feathers on the back and neck, and a prominent white rump that is most visible when the bird is in flight. The male's tail feathers are uniformly rufous, darkening towards the tips, whereas the female's lower tail coverts are white, barred with black and red. The female has a prominent white patch on the throat and a white stripe on the tail. The first-year male and the juvenile resemble the female, but the first-year male is larger and the juvenile is less distinctly marked.

Distribution and habitat

The Himalayan monal's native range extends from Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Himalayas in Nepal, India, southern Tibet and Bhutan. In Pakistan, it is common in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has also been recorded in Kaghan, Palas Valley and Azad Kashmir. In India, it has been recorded throughout the Indian Himalayan Region from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. It lives in upper temperate oak-conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows between 2,400 and 4,500 m (7,900 and 14,800 ft), where it is most common between 2,700 and 3,700 m (8,900 and 12,100 ft). It descends to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in the winter. It tolerates snow and digs through it to obtain plant roots and invertebrate prey.

Behaviour and ecology

The diet of the Himalayan monal consists primarily of tubers, nuts, tender leaves, shoots, insects and other invertebrates. It digs in snow for shoots and invertebrates. Plant matter made up a large part of the diet, although invertebrate matter was also present in low percentages.

Conservation

In some areas, the Himalayan monal is threatened due to poaching and other anthropogenic factors. In the western Himalayas, the population responded negatively to human disturbance involving hydroelectric power development. It is not considered endangered in Pakistan and can be easily located. In some areas, the population density of the species is as high as five pairs per square mile. The main threat to the species is poaching, as the crest is valuable. It is thought to bring status to its wearer and is a symbol of authority.