| Kalij pheasant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| MaleL. leucomelanos hamiltoni,Uttarakhand,India | |
 | |
| FemaleL. leucomelanos hamiltoni, Uttarakhand, India | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Lophura |
| Species: | L. leucomelanos |
| Binomial name | |
| Lophura leucomelanos (Latham, 1790) | |
Thekalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos), or simplykalij, is apheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in theHimalayan foothills, from Nepal,Pakistan to westernThailand. Males are rather variable depending on thesubspecies involved, but all have at least partially glossy bluish-blackplumage, while females are overall brownish. Both sexes have a bare red face and greyish legs (the latter separating it from the red-leggedsilver pheasant).[2] It is generally widespread, though three of its eastern subspecies (L. l. oatesi,L. l. lineata, andL. l. crawfurdi) are consideredthreatened andL. l. moffitti is virtually unknown in the wild.[2]
The name is also spelledkaleege in old texts, such asGame Birds of India and Asia byFrank Finn,[3] though no longer in hisIndian Sporting Birds.[4] The species was introduced toHawaii[1] in 1962 as agamebird.[5] On 21 October 2021, theGovernment of Jammu and Kashmir declared the kalij pheasant as bird of theUnion Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[6]
The kalij pheasant is closely related to the silver pheasant, and the two are known tohybridize.[7] The placement of thetaxaL. l. lineata andL. l. crawfurdi has been a matter of dispute, with some treating them as subspecies of the kalij pheasant[2] and others as subspecies of the silver pheasant.[8] They have greyish legs as in the kalij pheasant, but theirplumage is closer to that of some subspecies of the silver pheasant. Additionally, as the silver pheasant,L. l. lineata andL. l. crawfurdi are found east of theIrrawaddy River, a majorzoogeographic barrier, while all other subspecies of the kalij pheasant are found west of the river (L. l. oatesi, a subspecies of the kalij pheasant, has sometimes been reported as occurring east of that river,[2] but this is incorrect[9]). Based onmtDNA, it was recently confirmed thatL. l. lineata andL. l. crawfurdi should be regarded as subspecies of the kalij pheasant.[10]
The nine recognizedsubspecies of the kalij pheasant are, in taxonomic order:
Males have a total length of 63 to 74 cm (25 to 29 in) and females 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24 in).[2] Very roughly, the subspecies can be divided into two main groups, with the first (subspeciesL. l. hamiltoni,L. l. leucomelanos,L. l. melanota,L. l. moffitti, andL. l. lathami) being found in the western and central part of the species' range, while the second (L. l. williamsi,L. l. oatesi,L. l. lineata, andL. l. crawfurdi) is found in the eastern part. In the males of the first group, most of the plumage is glossy blue-black, though with white to the rump or underparts in most subspecies, and inL. l. hamiltoni, the westernmost subspecies, the crest is white (all others have a blue-black crest). In the second group, the underparts and crest are glossy blue-black, but the tail and upperparts are white (or very pale grey) with most feathers densely vermiculated with black.[2]
Females are brownish. In some subspecies, the underparts are distinctly marked in whitish and black, while in others, most feathers are pale-edged, resulting in a scaly appearance.[2]
On 21 October 2021, theGovernment of Jammu and Kashmir declared Kalij Pheasant as a bird of theUnion Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kalij Pheasant is known as Wan Kokur, Wan Kokud or Ban Kokur in theKashmiri language, which can be translated aswild cock.[6]
Media related toLophura leucomelanos at Wikimedia Commons
