The Western Tragopan or Western Horned Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) is a medium sized brightly plumaged pheasant found along the Himalayas from Hazara in northern Pakistan in the West to Uttarakhand within the Republic of India to the East. The species is highly endangered and globally threatened.
Identification
The male is very dark, grey and black with numerous white spots, each spot bordered with black and deep crimson patches on the sides and back of the neck. The throat is bare with blue skin while the bare facial skin is red. They have a small black occipital crest. Females have pale brownish grey upper parts finely vermiculated and spotted with black, and most of the feathers have black patches and central white streaks. Immature males resemble females, but are larger in size with longer legs and variable amount of black on head and red on neck.
Males weigh 1800–2200 g and females 1300–1400 g. The males vary in length from 55–60 cm while the females are 48–50 cm.
