Himalayan monal

The Himalayan monal is a colourful pheasant-like bird of the Himalayan forests and shrublands. It lives high up, at about 2,100 to 4,500 metres above sea level, from Afghanistan and Pakistan through India, Nepal and Bhutan to southern Tibet. It is listed as Least Concern.

It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is called the danphe, and the state bird of Uttarakhand in India. The male is famous for shimmering, many-coloured feathers that flash in the mountain sunlight. It is a large landfowl in the pheasant family Phasianidae. Young males and juveniles look like the female, so the brilliant colours of an adult male only appear after a year or more.

What does a monal look like?

A male has a long metallic green crest, coppery feathers on the back and neck, a rusty tail and a bright white rump that shows well in flight. The female is plainer brown, like many landfowl, with a white patch on the throat. Adults are about 61 to 76 centimetres long and weigh roughly 1.4 to 2.3 kilograms. In Pakistan it is found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and in India it has been recorded across the Himalayan region from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.

Where does it live and feed?

The monal lives in oak and conifer forests mixed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows, mostly between 2,700 and 3,700 metres. In winter it moves down to about 2,000 metres. It tolerates snow and digs through it for plant roots and small animals to eat. The bird tolerates snow well and uses its strong bill to dig for roots and small animals, a useful skill high in the mountains where winter lasts long.

On the globe

The model shows a male Himalayan monal with a green crest, shimmering feathers and a rusty tail.