Temminck's Tragopan
Tragopan temmincki
central and eastern Himalayas
 

Measurements

Body length: 55 to 65cm
Weight: 900 to 1450g

Diet

They feed on berries, seeds, leaves, shoots, fruits, and insects.

Identification

The male is a stocky red-and-orange bird with white-spotted plumage, black bill and pink legs. It has a bare blue facial skin, inflatable dark-blue lappet and horns. The female is a white-spotted brown bird with blue circular eye skin. Its appearance resembles the Satyr Tragopan, but unlike the latter species it has all red upperbody plumage and orange collar. Many of this species in captivity have been hybridised with the Satyr tragopan, since the females look so similar.

Behaviour

The male has one of the most flamboyant displays of any bird species. His large, colourful throat lappet can be lowered like a bib when he displays to his hen during April and May. Normally this lappet is totally concealed.

 

Distribution & Habitat

This species has the largest distribution of any of the 5 tragopan species, ranging from Northern Myanmar, Tibet, through the mountainous areas of Southern China to the North of Vietnam. It inhabits forests, dense evergreen, bamboo and rhododendron.

Reproduction

When the female has found a suitable nest, she will line it with leaves and twigs and lay 3 to 4 eggs in it. She will incubate the eggs for 28 to 30 days until they hatch. The new chicks develop very quickly and are able to fly just days after hatching.
Our birds are the progeny of two pairs of birds donated to The World Pheasant Association and San Diego Zoo by the Chinese Wildlife Authorities.

Conservation

Widespread and a common species throughout its large habitat range, the Temminck's Tragopan is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.