Sclater's Monal
Lophophorus sclateri
Large terrestrial bird of foothill and montane pine forests with extensive rhododendron ground cover. Male brilliantly colored but oddly vulturine in appearance, with a small peaked head and blue skin around the eye. Appears dark from a distance, with bronzed neck and orange-tipped white tail; closer looks reveal greenish-blue gloss on the wings. Female streaky brown with dark blue eye patch and white-tipped tail. Gives loud, bisyllabic raptor-like screams and babbling shrieks in alarm.
Identification
Sclater's monal is a large, approximately 68 centimetres (27 in) long, monal pheasant. As with other monals, the male is a colourful bird. It has a highly iridescent purplish-green upperparts plumage, short and curly metallic green crown feathers, copper neck, purplish-black throat, white back, blue orbital skin, yellowish-orange bill and brown iris. In the nominate subspecies, the tail is white with a broad chestnut band, while the tail is entirely white in L. s. arunachalensis from western Arunachal Pradesh in India. The crestless female is mostly a dark brown bird with a white throat and tail-tip, dull bluish orbital skin and a pale yellow bill.
Taxonomy
Sclater's monal has three recognized subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Lophophorus sclateri
- Authority
- Jerdon, 1870
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Lophophorus
Range and habitat
Sclater's monal is distributed to mountain forests of the east Himalayan region, in north-eastern India, south-eastern Tibet and northern Burma, at altitudes of 2,500 to 4,200 metres (8,200 to 13,800 ft).
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
Migration pattern: Vertical migration.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Papuan Island-Thrush
Turdus papuensis
Dark brown thrush with bright orange bill, eyering, legs, and feet. Inhabits montane forests and forest edge, as well as more open habitats such as montane grasslands and rocky slopes. Forages actively on the ground, as well as in trees. Vocalizations varied, and include elements quite different from many other Island-Thrushes; gives high-pitched buzzy “dzeer” and “dzip” notes, as well as a long rambling series of glossy-sounding notes.
Common Potoo
Nyctibius griseus
Strange nocturnal bird like a mix between an owl and a nightjar. Large head and huge yellow eyes. Overall grayish-brown with splotchy patterning. Black mustache stripe helps distinguish from Great Potoo, along with smaller size. Spends the daytime perched on the end of a snag, where it blends in perfectly and becomes very difficult to spot. At night, hunts mainly for flying insects from an exposed perch. Found in open forested habitats with scattered trees, such as forest edges, along rivers or roadsides, or even in disturbed patchy woodland. Listen for mournful series of whistles, descending in pitch: “POO, POO, Poo, poo, poo.”
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Pint-sized owl of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; found in northern forests and western mountains. Prefers areas with conifers and thick understory. Fairly common, but shy and difficult to see. Patterned with brown and white overall, with streaked white forehead and blotchy rusty-brown streaks below. No ear tufts. Migratory, but numbers of migrants fluctuate greatly from year to year. Named for its loud, repetitive whistles that sound like a saw being whetted (sharpened). Also gives a harsher, rising screech. Most similar to less common Boreal Owl. Saw-whet is smaller with streaks (not spots) on forehead and richer orange-brown streaks on underparts.
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