Photo Feature
Himalayan Monal
<p>The Himalayan Monal <em>Lophophorus impejanus</em> is a large pheasant that sports a resplendent plumage of iridescent blues, yellows, greens, rufous and deep black. In India, it has been recorded throughout the Indian Himalayan region from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. It prefers upper temperate oak-conifer forests interspersed with open grassy slopes, cliffs and alpine meadows, often found in areas with a rhododendron and bamboo understory. In some areas, the Himalayan Monal is threatened on account of poaching while in the western Himalaya, human disturbance involving hydroelectric power development threatens its habitat.</p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">Photo: Sheikh Riyaz.</span></strong></p>