Monal
{{short description|Genus of birds}}
{{distinguish|Monale}}
{{automatic taxobox
| name = Monal
| image = Himalayan Monal, male, Kedarnath Sanctuary, Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India (16745965827).jpg
| image_caption = Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus)
| taxon = Lophophorus
| authority = Temminck, 1813
| type_species = Lophophorus refulgens{{cite web |url= https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=11 |title= Phasianidae |author= |date= |website= aviansystematics.org |publisher= The Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date= 2023-08-05}} = Phasianus impejanus
| type_species_authority = Temminck, 1813
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = * Lophophorus impejanus
}}
A monal is a bird of genus Lophophorus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae.
Description
The males all have colorful, iridescent plumage. Their physique is rather plump, and their diet consists of plants such as roots and bulbs and insects. During mating, the males are polygamous and mate with several females. The females in turn only mate with the selected male and enter into a monogamous relationship. Due to habitat destruction and hunting, they have become rare and their population is endangered.{{cite book | last=Hoyo | first=Josep | title=Handbook of the birds of the world | publisher=Lynx Edicions | publication-place=Barcelona | year=1992 | isbn=84-87334-15-6 | oclc=861071869 | page=}}
Species
There are three species and several subspecies:
{{Species table |genus=Lophophorus|authority-name=Temminck |authority-year=1813 |species-count=three|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}
{{Species table/row
|name= Himalayan monal|binomial=Lophophorus impejanus
|image=File:Himalayan Monal on Snow.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=Male
|image2 =File:Himalayan Monal Female (16880438716).jpg |image2-caption=Female
|authority-name=Latham |authority-year=1790 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= Afghanistan and Pakistan through the Himalayas in India, Nepal, southern Tibet, and Bhutan.
|range-image=File:Lophophorus impejanus range map.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/row
|name=Sclater's monal |binomial=Lophophorus sclateri
|image=|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=
|image2 =File:Lophophorus sclateri.jpg |image2-caption=Female
|authority-name=Jerdon |authority-year=1870 |authority-not-original=
|range= northeast India, southeast Tibet and northern Burma
|range-image=
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= VU
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Three subspecies |bullets=on
| L. s. arunachalensis (Kumar & Singh, 2004)
| L. s. orientalis (Davison G.W.H., 1974)
| L. s. sclateri (Jerdon, 1870)
}}
}}
{{Species table/row
|name= Chinese monal|binomial=Lophophorus lhuysii
|image=File:Lvwhzh.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=Male
|image2 = |image2-caption=
|authority-name=Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, A |authority-year=1866 |authority-not-original=
|range= central China
|range-image=
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= VU
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons-inline|Lophophorus|Lophophorus}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline|Lophophorus|Lophophorus}}
{{Phasianidae}}
{{Pangalliformes|Pha.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q569957}}
{{Galliformes-stub}}