PHEASANTS IN PAKISTAN.

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PHEASANTS OF PAKISTAN.
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PHEASANTS IN PAKISTAN

• Pheasants are colourful birds they refer to any
  member of the subfamily of Phasianidae
• in the order Galliformes

Common male pheasant
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CHARACTERISTICS

• Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual
  dimorphism.
• Males being highly ornate with bright colours and
  adornments such as wattles and long tails.
• Males are usually larger than females and have
  longer tails.
• There are 35 species of pheasant in 11 genera

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• Scientific classification
  
• Kingdom Animalia
  
  
  
• Phylum Chordata
• Class Aves
• Order Galliformes
• Family Phasianidae
• Subfamily Phasianinae

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• Cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichi)
• Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus)
• White crested kalij (Lophura leucomelana)
• Western tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus)

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Cheer Pheasant( Catreus wallichi )

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• Morphology
• This is a medium-sized pheasant.
• Sexual dimorphism is slight.
• A large red orbital skin area is present, and the
  plumage is generally grey to buffy, with black
  barring and spotting.
• The wing is rounded, with the tenth primary
  shorter than the first, and the sixth the
  longest.
• The tail is of 18 rectrices.
• The tail moult in phasianidae (centripetal).
• The tarsus is fairly long, and spurred in the
  male.

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Habitat

• This species occurs over a rather wide
  altitudinal range in the western Himalayas
• particularly associated with steep, grass-covered
  hillsides having scattered trees.
• Tall grasses, rather than heavily grazed
  grasslands, are also preferred, and in Himachal
  Pra-desh.
• Its altitudinal range is from about 1200 to 3000 m

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Distribution

• In Pakistan this species is now apparently
  extirpated
• It was formerly abundant throughout Kaghan
  Valleys in Hazara district, the Margala Hills and
  also present in Swat and Kohistan.
• the distribution is restricted to several small
  pockets in Kashmir and Western India.
• Current Status
• Their current existence in Pakistan is doubtful.
• Consider to be locally extinct in Pakistan.

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• Feeding habit
• Beebe (1918-1922) examined that most of their
  food comes from digging with their bills, during
  which they obtain grubs, terrestrial tubers.
• He did find the larvae of cockroaches as well as
  several wireworms in one crop,
• Ali and Ripley (1978) suggested that their major
  foods are roots and tubers, seeds, berries and
  various insects and grubs.

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• Breeding season
• The breeding season apparently extends from late
  April to early June.
• Clutch Size
• Clutch-sizes are relatively large, with 9 to 10
  apparently being the usual size, but as many as
  13 or 14 have sometimes been reported from nests
  in the wild.

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• Nesting-Behaviour
• The nests are usually well hidden in grasses,
  bushes or in very broken ground. Some nests have
  been found at the foot of nearly vertical cliffs,
  and in relatively inaccessible sites.
• Threats
• The ecological niche previously occupied by
  the Cheer Pheasant has been filled by the White
  Crested Kalij whose requirements are similar in
  many respects.
• At one point Kalij and Cheer would have competed
  for habitats, but with dwindling Cheer
  populations, Kalij were quick to take command of
  the habitat.

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• Preservation
• In the 1990's several attempts were made by the
  World Pheasant Association and the Capital
  Development Authority to rear Cheer Pheasant.
• The project attracted international attention,
  with remarkable cooperation from international
  captive breeders who worked together to produce
  Cheer eggs for shipment to Pakistan.
• Few birds were released in 1978, and 30 more were
  put out in 1979 in the vicinity of Dhok Jiwan,
  N.W.F.P (Mirza 1981a). 5060 pairs of breeding
  captive birds are very well kept at Dhodial in
  N.W.F.P.

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• Himalayan Monal
• (Lophophorus impejanus)

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• Local Name Monal
• Morphology
• The monals are large pheasants in which the sexes
  are highly dimorphic,
• iridescent plumage is extensive in males
  excepting the underparts, which are velvety
  black.
• Males also have bare, bright blue orbital skin
  and crests of varying size and shape.
• The bill is long and highly curved, with the
  upper mandible strongly overlapping the lower
  one.
• The wing is rounded.

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Male and Female of Himalayan
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• Habitate
• In Nepal there is an altitudinal movement range
  of from 3200 to 4350 m.
• In the western Himalayas, seasonal movements are
  probably not so great.

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• Distribution
• In Pakistan this species occurs between 8000 and
  12 000 ft in the Himalayas in rocky crags near
  tree line (Mirza 198la).
• During winter this species can be located at the
  lower end of its altitude.
• The Himalayan Monal is found mainly in the
  N.W.F.P, extending eastwards into Kaghan and Azad
  Kashmir.
• Sizeable populations are found in Pallas Valley
  and Ayubia National Park.
• These birds are limited in coniferous forests of
  Chitral, Dir, Swat, Hazara, Azad Kashmir and
  Gilgit.

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• Population Density
• In some areas of Pakistan it is still fairly
  common.
• Current Status
• The status of this beautiful pheasant is still
  fairly secure in many areas.
• A particular problem is that of 'crest-hunting'.
  The crest of a male Himalayan Monal is a prized
  possession and symbolizes status and authority.
• In Pakistan the Monal is only hunted for their
  flesh.

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Feeding Behaviour

• The foods of this species is apparently for
  tubers, roots, and subterranean insects.
• In autumn it is said to forage largely on insect
  larvae
• other times of the year on seeds ,berries edible
  mushrooms, wild strawberries, and the roots of
  ferns.
• The birds do very little digging with their feet,
  but instead pick at the earth with their
  shovel-like beaks, sometimes digging holes as
  deep as a foot.
• The birds typically forage in small groups.

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• Breeding Season
• In India these birds begin nesting primarily in
  May, but egg records extend from 20 April to 27
  June (Baker 1935).
• Nesting
• Nests are invariably placed in wooded habitats,
  typically in forests having large trees.
• The nest is a simple scrape, often under the
  shelter of a bush, a rock, or in the hole of some
  large tree.

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• Clutch Size
• Clutch sizes in the wild are most commonly of
  four or five eggs, with three-egg clutches also
  fairly common sometimes only two eggs are
  present.
• IncubationThe incubation period lasts some
  26-29 days, and in captivity females will often
  lay a second replacement clutch if the first is
  removed or unsuccessful in hatching.
• PreservationThe status of this beautiful
  pheasant is still fairly secure in many areas.

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Western Tragopan.

• (Tragopan melanocephalus)

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• Morphology
• The male is very dark, grey and black with
  numerous white spots, each spot bordered with
  black and deep crimson patches on the sides and
  back of the neck.
• The throat is bare with blue skin while the bare
  facial skin is red.
• They have a small black occipital crest.
• Immature males resemble females, but are larger
  in size with longer legs and variable amount of
  black on head and red on neck.
• The males vary in length from 5560 cm while the
  females are 4850cm.

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Western Tragopan Male and Female
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• Distribution
• Five populations are known from Kohistan, Kaghan
  valley, Kishtwar, Chamba, Kulu.
• They are found from an altitude of 1750 m to
  3600 m, going up higher in summer.
• Their preferred habitat is temperate, sub-alpine
  and broad-leaved forest.
• Habitats
• It inhabits upper temperate forests between 2400
  and 3600m in summer, and in winter, dense
  coniferous and broad-leaved forests between 2000
  to 2800m elevations.
• The Western tragopan is mostly arboreal but
  feeds on the ground.

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• Feeding
• They mostly feed on leaves, shoots, seeds, but
  also consume insects an other invertebrates.

Western Tragopan
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• Breeding Season
• The breeding season is May-June.
• Nesting
• They build their nests in low tree hollows.
• Current Status
• The Western Tragopan is considered as the rarest
  of all living pheasants. Their range is very
  restricted.
• In Himachal Pradesh, this bird is locally called
  Jujurana which means King of Birds.

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• Threats
• Population is threatened by several
  anthropogenic factors throughout its range.
• The world population is estimated at less than
  5000 individuals, including a captive population.
• CITES has listed this species in Appendix I in
  order to discourage selling of its feathers.

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• White-crested Kalij Pheasant
• (Lophura leucomelanos hamiltonii)

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• Distribution
• The White-crested Kalij Pheasant is one
  sub-species of the Kalij Pheasant.
• It present in northern Pakistan and the Kashmir
  region, northern parts of the Republic of India,
  as well some areas of western Nepal.
• It is the provincial bird of the Afghanistan
  region.
• 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.

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• Morphology
• The feathers on the sides of the breast always
  have white shaft-stripes.
• Middle pair of tail feathers dirty white.
• Facial skin blood-red.
• Legs and feet fleshy brown.
• Iris brownish yellow.

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Male Kalij Pheasant.
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• Food and foraging behaviour
• Kalij pheasants are omnivorous, eating almost
  anything from bamboo seeds to small snakes and
  lizards.
• But have a special fondness for termites, figs,
  bamboo seeds, and the roots of a ginger-like
  plant.
• A wide variety of foods take, including seeds,
  berries, grass, herbs, shrubs, roots, and a
  diversity of insects, worms, and larvae.
• Foraging is apparently done in rather small
  groups, perhaps pairs and family units.
• They can also dig with their bills for subsurface
  materials such as roots and tubers.

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• Breeding Season
• The white-crested kalij is said to breed from
  March to June, the Nepal kalij from April to
  June.
• Nesting Behaviour
• The nest itself is a slight hollow, usually in an
  area of abundant undergrowth, and sometimes under
  an overhanging rock, under a bush, or in a clump
  of grass.

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• Clutch Size
• In nearly all races the usual number of eggs
  seems to be 6 to 9.
• Extremely large clutches of up to 14 or 15 eggs
  have been reported would seem to be the result of
  other modifications of the normal situation.
• Incubation The incubation period may vary
  somewhat with climate, perhaps taking an average
  of 20 days in the warmer portions of the range
  and up to 22 days in the higher and cooler
  elevations (Baker 1930).
• This is performed by the female, with the male
  apparently taking no role in protecting the nest.

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• Habitats
• The nine subspecies of kalij pheasants
  recognized,occur over an extremely wide range of
  habitats and elevations, from nearly sea level to
  at least 11 000 ft.

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• Current Status
• 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).
• Also are highly adaptable and resistant to
  habitat changes (Yonzon and Lelliott 1981).
• But, this information is not true for Pakistan,
  where the Kalij pheasant has a very limited
  habitat and is only locally common.