Animalia Life

Tragopan satyra
SUBFAMILY
Phasianinae (Tribe Phasianini)
TAXONOMY
Meleagris satyra Linnaeus, 1829, Bengal = Sikkim, India. Monotopic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Crimson tragopan, Indian tragopan, crimson horned pheasant; French: Tragopan satyre; German: Satyrtragopan; Spanish: Tragopбn Sбtiro.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Male 26–28 in (67–72 cm); female 22–23 in (57–59 cm); male 3.5–4.6 lb (1.6–2.1 kg); female 2.2–2.6 lb (1.0–1.2 kg). Males have deep red underparts, bare blue facial skin, and brown plumage on lower back and rump; upperwing-coverts also brown. Females are dull brown to rufous with bars and lanceshaped markings.
DISTRIBUTION
Himalayas from northern India through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan to western Arunachal Pradesh, including southeastern Tibet.
HABITAT
Temperate montane forest with dense understory at 5,900–14,100 ft (1,800–4,300 m).
BEHAVIOR
Usually in pairs or singles early in year, and family parties in July–September; male’s repeated wailing call at dawn from roost in April–June heralds breeding season.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Roots, bulbs, and invertebrates, and plucking leaves from cover and trees.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Monogamous in captivity; usually crude stick nests are constructed up to 20 ft (6 m) in trees; clutch size two to three; incubation 28 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened and still widespread, but hunted (except in Bhutan).
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Used as a flagship for central Himalayan forest conservation campaigns.

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