Pucrasia macrolopha
The Koklass Pheasant, *Pucrasia macrolopha*, is a captivating and elusive gamebird native to the high-altitude forests of the Himalayas and surrounding mountain ranges. Males are strikingly beautiful, measuring 58-64 cm (23-25 inches) in length and weighing between 1.13-1.47 kg (2.5-3.2 lbs), while females are slightly smaller at 52-57 cm (20-22 inches) and 0.9-1.13 kg (2-2.5 lbs). Its most distinctive field marks include the male's long, pointed crest, the prominent white patches on either s...
Found primarily in temperate coniferous and mixed oak-conifer forests, often with dense undergrowth, scrub, and rocky outcrops, at elevations typically between 2,000 to 4,000 meters (6,500 to 13,000 feet).
Their diet consists mainly of plant matter including shoots, leaves, seeds, berries, tubers, and roots, supplemented with insects, especially during the breeding season for protein.
Koklass Pheasants are predominantly diurnal, spending most of their day foraging on the forest floor and roosting in trees, often dense conifers, at night. They are highly secretive and shy, relying on their cryptic plumage to blend into their surroundings, often freezing or running uphill throug...
The Koklass Pheasant boasts a wide but disjunct distribution across the mountainous regions of Asia, primarily along the Himalayan range and its extensions. Its breeding range stretches from eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan, through the Hindu Kush and Himalayan regions of India (Kashmir, Himachal...
Least Concern
- The Koklass Pheasant's name is an onomatopoeia derived directly from the male's loud, distinctive call, 'kok-kok-kok-koklas!'. - It is the only species in its genus, *Pucrasia*, making it a monotypic genus and highlighting its evolutionary uniqueness among pheasants. - Despite its relatively la...