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News: There has been rapid decline of cheer pheasant populations in Himalayan grasslands across northern Pakistan, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Nepal.
About Cheer Pheasant
- The cheer pheasant is a ground-dwelling bird, known for its loud and distinctive calls.
- Family: It belongs to the pheasant family Phasianidae.
- Scientific name: Catreus wallichii
- Habitat: It prefers steep rocky slopes with grasslands, scrub vegetation, and small trees.
- It depends on open habitats and needs early-successional grassland ecosystems to find food and shelter.
- Distribution: It is found in fragmented Himalayan grasslands from northern Pakistan through Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and central Nepal.
- It usually found at elevations between 1,200 and 3,350 metres above sea level.
- Diet: It feeds mainly on seeds, roots, berries, and insects found in grasslands.
- Behaviour: It builds a simple ground nest that is hidden under shrubs or rocks.
- It shows high natal philopatry, which means individuals often return to the place where they were born to breed.
- Ecological Importance: It is an indicator species that reflects the health of Himalayan grassland ecosystems.
- Threats: Hunting, Habitat loss, Wildfires and Fragmented habitats
- Conservation Status
- IUCN: Vulnerable
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I
