News- Recent studies and conservation efforts highlight ongoing threats to the western tragopan despite decades of captive breeding success.
About Western Tragopan
The Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus), locally known as Jujurana or “king of birds,” is a rare and vulnerable pheasant species endemic to the Western Himalayas.
It is the state bird of Himachal Pradesh.
Distribution
- It was earlier found across Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
• Today, it survives in small and fragmented pockets of the western Himalayas and northern parts of Pakistan.
Habitat
- It lives in moist temperate Himalayan forests at high altitudes (2,400–3,600 m).
- It prefers a habitat of ringal (dwarf) bamboo beneath dense forest.
- Important habitats include the Great Himalayan National Park, and the Kazinag and Limber (J&K) forests.
Major Characteristics:
Male: The male has a velvet-black head, a bright crimson breast, white spotting, and colourful facial wattlesused during mating displays.
Female: The female is brown, smaller, and camouflaged, while immature males resemble females.
Breeding: It breeds during May–June and lays three to five eggs in concealed forest nests.
Diet: It feeds on leaves, shoots, seeds, berries, and insects.
The bird is shy, ground-dwelling, and mostly active at dawn and dusk.
Indicator Species: The western tragopan is an indicator species of high-altitude forest health and ecological stability.
Conservation Status
- The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I species (provides the highest legal protection in India).
Conservation Efforts: India’s only captive-breeding programme at the Sarahan Pheasantry in Himachal Pradesh has successfully stabilised the captive population and provides hope for reintroduction efforts.
•The first successful births took place in 1993.
