A bird of nine colours
In Nepal it is called the danphe, and is said to have nine colours. It is Nepal's national bird.
Asian mountains
Himalayan monal
Lophophorus impejanus
A pheasant that shines like metal: green head with a crest, copper neck, blue and purple back, orange tail.
- Size
- About 70cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Mountain forests and meadows of the Himalaya
Struts after you, and flies off downhill. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Himalayan monal
Good to know
Six things about the himalayan monal
Colours made of light
The colours come from the way its feathers scatter light, so they change as the bird turns.
A digger
It uses its strong, curved beak to dig for roots and grubs, even through snow.
A plain partner
The female is streaky brown, which hides her on the nest.
Up and down the mountain
It spends summer in high meadows and comes down into the forest when the snow arrives.
A wiry crest
The male has a crest of bare stems, each tipped with a green spoon-shaped feather.
The real thing
Photos of the himalayan monal
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look on open slopes at the edge of rhododendron forest, early in the morning. The male's colours flash when the sun catches him.
How to help
Monals have been hunted for their crests. Protected areas across Nepal, India and Bhutan now keep them safe.
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