It belongs to the Phasianidae family of
Galliformes order, with the scientific name of Lophophorus impejanus (Latin), or
Himalayan Monal Pheasant (English).
Its full length is 58 to 60 centimeters. The
male's upper body is mostly metalescent green, violet, and greenish blue, etc.
Its lower back is white, rectrices are reddish brown, and lower part is brown
black. Its head is aeruginous with a tuft of long cristae. The tectices of alae
have similar color with the back feather, and the remiges are dun with
aeruginous luster. The female bird is tan with black, brown and yellow stripes.
Its chin, larynx and lower back are white.
It inhabits mostly in mixed
broadleaf-conifer forests, wild woods and cuckoo bushes at an elevation of 2,500
to 4,600 meters. It vertically migrates with seasonal variations and feeds on
plant roots and culms.
Himalayan Monal Pheasant is a resident bird, distributed in Yadong of southern and
southeastern Tibet, and the east of Yalung Zangbo River in China. In recent
years its quantity has been increased and can be often seen in wild. It has been
listed in Appendix I of International Trade Convention on Endangered Wild
Animal and Plant Species.