 PHOTO: JEAN HOWMAN |
PHOTO: JEAN HOWMAN |
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This is probably the rarest of all the tragopans with, it is believed, only one bird in captivity anywhere in the world. They come from the western end of the Himalayas and have recently been recorded in Swat and Indus Kohistan and Azad Kashmir. Formerly they inhabited much of Hazara and spread east through Kashmir to Garhwal in India which borders onto the range of the Satyr Tragopan.
The Western Tragopan is similar in size to the better-known Satyr Tragopan but is much darker in general coloring with the exception of its head and chest. The hen bird is similar to the Satyr Tragopan hen, but is darker. Its normal altitude range is 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,400 to 3,000 meters). The late Dr. Jean Delacour considered that the Western Tragopan might never become established in captivity. He believed that the comparatively dry habitat in which they lived made them a more difficult avicultural species. This, coupled with the logistical problems of trapping and transporting them from their inaccessible, high-altitude haunts without excessive stress, makes them particularly challenging to rear and breed successfully. The World Pheasant Association has done much field research on them during the past twelve years culminating in a major project "to save the Palas Valley" in Indus Kohistan where there is a substantial and viable population. If a logging ban of this beautiful valley cannot be guaranteed, perhaps a major effort to take specimens from this area should be made. A pair were taken from illegal hunters by the Wildlife Department of Himachal Pradesh in 1990, but the male died some weeks after the hen had produced infertile eggs in 1991. The hen remains the only known captive bird at the present time. |
| Avicultural Notes | |
| Minimum aviary size | Probably as for Satyr Tragopan |
| Status in captivity | 1 only - rare |
| Full adult plumage | Second year |
| Egg clutch size | Unknown, but probably 3 - 4 |
| Incubation Period | 28 days |
| Feeding Habits | Primarily vegetarian with emphasis on fruit and berries |