- Tetraogallus himalayensis
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
- 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