20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Crown Prince Monal

Crown Prince, the Himalayan Monal is one of the most beautiful bird in the world. The Himalayan Monal, is high altitude species that can be found across the Himalayas, from Afghanistan through Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. It is also known as the Impeyan monal, Impeyan pheasant, is a bird in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. All the colours of the rainbow are present in multi coloured plumage. The male has green crested head, red neck, green shoulders, blue back, orange tail, and black underparts. Found in Himalayan hill forest, typically in areas with extensive rhododendron and bamboo-dominated understory. Males use body displays to attract females, bobbing the head-crest and fanning their tail Himalayan monals dig for food items such as roots, insects, and seeds using their strong beak and claws, leaving a characteristic pattern in the dirt and in the snow where they have been foraging. It was captured from the Road and no special permission is required.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2022
Date Uploaded: 10.2022
Photo Location: Gangtok, Sikkim, India, India
Camera: NIKON Z 9
Copyright: © Apurba Das