Kingdom: Animalia     Phylum: Chordata     Class: Aves (Birds)     Order: Galliformes     Family: Phasianidae

Blyth's Tragopan (Tragopan blythii), also called Grey-bellied Tragopan, is a local resident in eastern Himalayas and hills of north-east India. Two sub-species - T. blythii blythii and T. blythii molesworthi (Bhutan).

Size: Male 67-70 cm; female 59 cm.

Identification: Male: The adult male, largest of all Tragopans, is a brilliantly colored over-sized pheasant. Iris brown, horns light blue, legs pinkish brown. The bare face skin is bright yellow, a black band extends from the base of the bill to the crown and a broad black band extends behind the eye. During courtship, the yellow wattle is not as long as in other Tragopans, only about 1 1/2 inches long. The upper breast and neck is rusty red, not as bright as the Temminck's or Satyr Tragopan. The lower breast and belly is grayish-red with faint spots. The back and rest of the body is brownish red with many white ocelli. The full plumage is not attained until the second year. T. b. molesworthi is darker than T. b. blythii, gray on lower breast is paler and extends higher on the breast. Female: Similar to the Satyr hen, but is larger and paler. Overall dark brown with black, buff and white mottling. Differs from Temminck's Tragopan in lacking the bold white spots on underparts. T. b. molesworthi darker. Immature male: Similar to female, acquiring red on the neck at first spring moult.

Distribution: Eastern Himalayas and hills of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Also reported from Chin hills of northern Myanmar. Found in dense undergrowth of evergreen forests at altitudes not less than 1700 m. T. b. molesworthi is much rarer and reported from east Bhutan and the adjacent Mishmi hills in north-east India.

Food: Feeds on fresh leaves, seeds, acorns, berries, bamboo shoots, and insects.

Call: A very loud 'gnau gnau' or 'gock gock gock'.

Breeding: Nothing known of the birds in wild. Birds in captivity have a clutch size of 3-5 eggs and an incubation period of about 30 days.
 

Anseriformes

Galliformes