Temminck’s Tragopan

     The Temminck’s Tragopan is a bird from a Pheasant family known as the Tragopans or the Horny Pheasants. It is a wide-ranging bird across the eastern Himalayan mountains, being found in eastern India, China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Vietnam.

     The male Temminck’s tragopan is bright orange-crimson, spotted with pearl-grey dots below and black-bordered white dots above. He resembles his cousin the Satyr Tragopan, but unlike the latter species he has all red upper body plumage and an orange collar. The male Temminck’s tragopan has also vivid pale-blue facial skin and bib-like wattle that hangs from the throat, typical of Tragopan males. The crown and the neck are mostly black, and like other Tragopans, he has two fleshy blue horns that project above the eye during courtship displays. Female Temminck’s tragopans are less colorful, with their dull plumage which is mottled with black, brown and grey. This of course helps camouflage them when nesting.

     The breeding season of the Temminck’s Tragopan starts in March and lasts about a month or so. Three to five eggs are laid per clutch, and are incubated for 26 to 28 days by the female only. The female Temminck’s Tragopan remains with the chicks for about a month to six weeks, until they are able to feed themselves and are capable of climbing trees safely.