Markhor Capra falconeri, the national animal of Pakistan, is globally recognized as endangered. Areas identified as core zone/hotspot and suitable habitat for the pheasant species should be legally protected for the conservation of pheasants. Bar Palas region of Koli Palas district, Jalkot and Kandia valley of district upper Kohistan and Kayal valley of district lower Kohistan were identified as core zones or hot spots for these pheasant species. km), followed by moderately suitable (2551.3 sq. Whereas, highly suitable habitat for Koklass pheasant was (611.5 sq. The topographical variables, altitude, slope, and distance to settlements contributed 15.2%, 2.6%, and 16% in the Monal habitat prediction model while 8.4%, 10.5%, and 15.8% for the Koklass habitat prediction model respectively. The climatic parameters including temperature, precipitation of the warmest quarter (bio_18) contributed the maximum 21.3% and 23.5%, followed by annual precipitation (bio_12) 12.3% and 8.9% for habitat prediction of Monal and Koklass. The area under cover (AUC) values quantified for the replicate runs were 0.994 (☐.001) and 0.991 (☐.005) for Himalayan Monal and Koklass pheasant respectively. Ma圎nt model displayed excellent predictive performance showing a strong prediction of the probability distribution and habitat. Ma圎nt and Cringing models were used to document habitat suitability and to identify valleys with most suitable habitat. This study aims to investigate habitat suitability of these pheasants in the western Himalayas and Hindukush. Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus) and Koklass (Pucrasia macrolopha) are endemic to the Himalayas and Hindukush mountains. Quantifying geographical range and suitable habitat of a species can help in better management and conservation decisions. The next time you are at the Zoo, take a walk over to the Red Panda Forest! There you will find the Himalayan Monal and Azure Winged Magpie mixed species exhibit across from the Red Pandas.The Himalayan pheasants are under the greatest threat due to habitat degradation, and loss. They are the national bird of Nepal and are native to Asia more specifically the Himalayas from eastern Afghanistan to Bhutan, including southern Tibet and northeast India. The Himalayan Monal is considered endangered and their numbers continue to slowly decrease due to a loss of habitat and hunting of the males for their crests. This helps keepers to weigh the birds or easily transport the birds for veterinary exams without having to enter the exhibits with nets and create a stressful situation. This is because the Zoo’s Monals participate in a crate training program where they voluntarily enter a crate for a food reward. In some of the pictures you might notice a crate in the background. He also loves to spend a lot of his time digging around the exhibit a natural behavior expressed when foraging for food. Our male is full of personality! He enjoys chasing keepers when they walk away, but if the keeper turns around and looks at him, he’ll completely stop and look away as if he wasn’t doing anything. Our pair came to the Sacramento Zoo from the San Diego Zoo when they were just 7 months old. Our male is a few months shy of 2 years old and still has some juvenile plumage visible. As he matures, his colors slowly start to come in, but it can take up to two years. The male doesn’t start out life with those beautiful colors he actually looks very similar to a female as a youngster. The female has duller, brown colors to help her avoid being seen by predators while she incubates her eggs. Male Himalayan Monals have vibrant colors to attract the females. The slideshow below shows the color changes that males go through as they mature. The Sacramento Zoo houses many birds, but the Himalayan Monal Pheasant, sometimes mistakenly called a peacock or a chicken, is one of the most beautiful birds at the zoo. Have you ever seen the Disney-Pixar movie “Up?” While making the film, Pixar came to visit the Sacramento Zoo to take pictures, make sketches and observe the behavior of our Himalayan Monals, In the movie “Up,” Kevin is partially based on our birds! Sponsorship Opportunities/ Corporate Partners.Employee Conservation Contribution Program.
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