Himalayan Snowcock

Tetraogallus himalayensis

Photo by Rajiv Lather
Adult male of the nominate race himalayensis.
Location: near Chang La Pass (ca. 5000 masl), Ladakh, India.

Identification

54-72 cm long bird. Grey, brown, white and black, the breast is pale with horizontal blackish streaking. This bird has a thin brown collar at the base of its white throat.

Distribution

Native to the Himalayas. A small (several hundred) population was introduced into the Ruby Mountains of ne Nevada, USA, and is apparently thriving.

Taxonomy

Five subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• T. h. sewerzowi - Tien Shan mtn range to nw China
• T. h. incognitus - S. Tajikistan and n Afghanistan
• T. h. himalayensis - E. Afgahnistan to nw India and Nepal
• T. h. grombezewskii - Kunlun mtn. range in W China to n Tibet and s Xinjiang
• T. h. koslowi - W China in the Nam Shan and Ching Hai Ku mtn ranges.

Habitat

In the Himalaya, it breeds at altitudes from 3600-5100 m on bare stony slopes of mountains.

Behaviour

Small flocks fly downslope in the morning, to forage systematically uphill as the day progresses. Diet includes seeds and vegetable matter. It nests in a bare ground scrape and lays typically 5-10 eggs, which are incubated only by the female. Both parents raise the young.

References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019

External Links

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