Meet Himalayan Monal – The Nine Coloured Mountain Pheasant

Monal (also known as the Impeyan Pheasant or Impeyan Monal) is one of the most stunningly beautiful birds in the world. This large size pheasant is also known as “nine-coloured bird”. The bird has an iridescent rainbow-like plumage. However the look of the bird is pleasing to eyes but you might get exhausted if you try to assess (count) the numbers of colors on the bird.

The first-year male and the juvenile resemble the female, but the first-year male is larger and the markings are less distinct. The females and the chicks appear brownish. Their feathers also have few white and black strips. Size of adult Himalayan Monal is 60 to 72 cm. The weight of adult is between 1.70 to 2.40 kg. Males are slightly larger and heavier than females. They prefer open, coniferous or mixed forests resplendent with rhododendron and bamboo. Himalayan Monal inhibits in cold and high altitude, remaining between 2000 (in winter) and 4500 meters above sea level. They have a great tolerance for cold/ snow and can be easily seen in snow digging in it for food.