Two species of monal, a colour pheasant, together have been sighted in Upper Siang district of central Arunachal Pradesh.
- Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) is more widely distributed from Afghanistan to northeast India, the rarer Sclater’s (Lophophorus sclateri) monal is found in southern China and northern Myanmar.
- These birds were sighted on Mount Eko Dumbing at 4,173 metres above mean sea level.
- A male Sclater’s monal was also sighted near Komji Lipik at an altitude of 2,850 metres. A pair of male and female Himalayan monal was sighted at Bomeh at 3,700 metres above mean sea level.
- Slater’s monal and Himalayan monal were earlier sighted from Sela and Mayodia in Arunachal Pradesh, but this is the first photographic record of these birds in Upper Siang.
- Both Sela (western Arunachal Pradesh) and Mayodia (eastern Arunachal Pradesh) are mountain passes at 4,170 metres and 2,655 metres above sea level.
About Sclater’s monal
- Sclater’s monal is an endemic bird of the Eastern Himalaya, mostly recorded from the junction of India, Myanmar, Tibet and Yunnan province of China.
- This pheasant is restricted to Arunachal Pradesh on the Indian side. Its total population is only about 10,000 and is thus listed in the vulnerable category of threatened species and is Scheduled I species of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
(Source: The Hindu)
