Survey of Threatened Cheer Pheasant Catreus Wallichii in Garhwal Himalaya

2007·3 MB·

by  M S Bisht

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 134-139
SURVEY OF THREATENED CHEER PHEASANT CATREUS WALLICHII
IN GARHWAL HIMALAYA1
M.S. Bisht2-5, S. Phurailatpam2-6,B.S. Kathait2,A.K. Dobriyal2,7,AshaChandola-Saklani3andRahulKaul4
'Accepted December 2005
department of Zoology, HNB Garhwal University Campus, Pauri 246 001, Uttarakhand, India.
’Department of Zoology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal) 245 174, Uttarakhand, India.
Email: [email protected]
4WPA-India, SAFO. J-7/21A, DLF Phase II, Gurgaon 122 002, Haryana, India. Email: [email protected]
’Email [email protected]
:
"Email: [email protected]
’Email: [email protected]
FromOctober2000toDecember2001,asurveyondistributionofCheerPheasantCatreuswallichiiwasconductedin
Pauri and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand, India. Twenty-six sites in thirteen areas were identified to hold Cheer,
betweenaltitudesof950-2,250minthechirpineandpinemixedforest.Atallthesites,exceptAdwaniReserveForest
ofPauriDivision,thedensityofPheasantwasfoundquiteless(<2birds/sq.km).Habitatdestruction,duetofire,heavy
grazing,fuel,andfoddercollectionwasapparentatmostsites. Hunting,collectionofeggsandlossofbroodduetofire
wereidentifiedasmainreasonsforpopulation decline.
Keywords:Threatened,CheerPheasant,Catreuswallichii,Garhwal Himalaya,habitatdegradation
INTRODUCTION the first time in the districts of Pauri and Chamoli of
Uttarakhand, India.
CheerPheasant(OrderGalliformes,FamilyPhasianidae)
is one ofthe pheasants ofthe Indian subcontinent. Its range STUDYAREAANDMETHODS
wasformerlyalongtheHimalayanregion,betweentheIndus
m
andKali-Gandakirivers,withinanaltitudeof 1,000-3,250 Survey for Cheer Pheasant was carried out in the
(Garsonetal. 1992).Itpreferssteephillsideswithprecipitous districtsofPauriandChamoliofUttarakhand(29°22'-31°07'N
cliffs, open ground with scatteredtrees (Delacour 1977;Ali and78°07'-80° 10'E,750-3,750maltitude).Thevegetationof
andRipley 1983;Johnsgard 1986). the study area can be broadly divided into sub-tropical
In the past, over hunting and habitat destruction deciduousforest,chirpineforest,temperateforest,coniferous
caused huge decline in population ofthis endemic species. forest,subalpineforest,alpinescrubandmeadows(Champion
A few decades ago, many Cheer sites were located and andSeth 1968). Inthelocal(Garhwali dialect,inmanyareas
)
studiedalsoinNepal(Lelliot 1981, 1987;Bland 1987),Pakistan of Pauri and Chamoli district, Cheer pheasant is known as
(Roberts 1970; Severinghausetal. 1979) andIndia,namely ‘Chair’ or ‘Phaklas’.Informationregardingtheoccurrenceof
Himachal Pradesh (Gaston et al. 1981, 1983; Garson etal. CheerPheasantwasgatheredfromlocalruralfodderandfuel
1992; Sharma and Pandey 1989) and Kumaon region of collectors, hunters and forest personnel. On the basis of
Uttarakhand(Rasool 1984;Youngetal. 1987).TheGarhwal available information, a team consisting of 2-3 observers
Himalaya had only accounts written by British naturalists visited the potential sites. At each site, the survey was
livinginIndiabeforeindependence(Jerdon 1864;Humeand conducted for 2-7 days, in the morning from 0500 to
Marshall 1879; Osmaston 1921). Post Independence there 1000hrs,andintheafternoonfrom 1400hrstodusk.
has been a solitary sighting of a female Cheer Pheasant at Trail Walk Method (Gaston 1980) was undertaken for
Mandal(nearGopeshwar),ChamolidistrictbySathyakumar the presence/sightings ofthe Pheasant. From October 2000
et al. (1992) and observations (extensive throughout the to December 2001, many sites in different localities were
Cheer range) by Gaston (1987b). Gaston (1987b) stressed surveyed.Ateachsitetrailwalksof4-8km(dependingonthe
the needforsurveysin Uttarakhand (formerly UPhills) and topography and the area of the site) were covered silently
Sathyakumar et al. (1992) mentioned certain areas within andinformationwasrecordedon:(i)locationofsite,(ii)habitat
KedarnathWildlife Sanctuary as possible sites. types (iii) main vegetation (iv) number of Cheer Pheasant
In this paper we describe the findings of a year-long sighted(v)distancecoveredand(vi)timespentbythesurvey
survey when many Cheer sites were accurately located for team. Area of each site surveyed for the sightings was
SURVEY OF THREATENED CHEER PHEASANT
Fig. 1:SightingareasofCheerPheasantinGarhwalFtimalaya(1-Pauri,2-Adwani,3-Agrora,4-Lansdowne,5-Chhantikhal,
6-Karanprayag,7-Gairsain,8-Narayanbagar,9-Nandprayag, 10-Trisula, 11-Ghat, 12-Peepalkotiand13-Joshimath)
calculated from toposheets. RESULTS
Allthewalkswererepeatedatleastthricetoasmanyas
14 times to make direct sightings of maximum number of DistributionandStatus
individualsateachsite. Thedistancecoveredandtime spent Table 1 represents the sites holding Cheer with the
at each site was not proportional because of differing associated data on altitude, slope aspect, habitat type,
topography and difficult terrain. Chicks (being a seasonal sightings, numberofbirds sighted, encounterrate (birds/km
phenomenon) were not taken as part of a population. and birds/hour), density and hunting pressure. In 13 areas
Acumulativeareaof310sq. kmof56 sites was surveyed in (Fig. 1), Cheer Pheasant was observed in 89 sightings at
67 visits (does not include number of repeated trails on 26 different sites (covering an area of 124.4 sq. km). It was
consecutive days/site). Only sites with direct sightings were sighted in 5 areas of Pauri district, namely Pauri, Adwani,
taken into account. Agrora,LansdowneandChhantikhalandin8areasofChamoli
Density is defined as maximum individuals per site district, namely Karanprayag, Gairsain, Narayanbagar,
dividedbyareaofthesite,andencounterrates(Birds/kmand Nandprayag,Trisula,Ghat, PeepalkotiandJoshimath.
Birds/hour) as total birds sighted at each site divided by Thehighestnumberofbirds(12individuals, including
distance covered and total birds sighted at each site divided 3 males,5femalesand4subadults)wereobservedinAdwani
by time spent respectively. ReserveForestwhenthe areawassurveyedinthebeginning
Samplingeffort(areaavailable,distancecovered,time ofwinterseason. Otherthanadultindividuals,twonestswith
spentandaverageofthethree)indifferenthabitatsandaltitude 6and8eggswereobservedatGhurdori(1.680m)andPaukhal
categories is given as proportions of the respective totals (1.600m)respectively inMay2001. Outoftheeighteggs(at
andcomparedwith proportionsofobservednumberofbirds Paukhal), 7 hatched in the following month. Chicks and
in each category. For the aspect category, an impression of subadults were also sighted at Bingarh, Gumkhal and
sampling intensity is presented in terms ofarea covered, as Joshimath fromJune toAugust 2001; the highest numberof
the complex topography hinders the generation ofrequired chicks (8) was sighted atJoshimath.
data for different aspects of the habitat surveyed. The Density of Cheer Pheasant was recorded to be
observed pattern may have biases, as it is not corrected for <2birds/sq.kmexceptatAdwani (2.18birds/sq.km),andthe
availability. lowestdensityof0.34birds/sq.kmwasobservedatJoshimath.
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 135
— — —
)
SURVEY OFTHREATENED CHEER PHEASANT
oC\l cO\i Oo cO\i Lc\Oi Ot- dT- do no ti-n Oc\i L'Ot cCoO LtO- dLO dO Lt-O cL\Oj nt- oc\j LoO dcodo
© IO=3 tC-O; oo drC-M 1c7o CTM— 0o0 cLooO 00d03 Cdr-O 0oT^3- C0dD0 c1o7 0o3 0Co0O LoO coLoO OT— cpT_o CdLOO CoLMO c*“o 0Lo3O LCTM—O Ios- ocTo—
Q_
gCO
sightings) LcLl ffi c CdO CCdMO 0CdM0 oLoO drC-O cTo—o 0-or3— CoO ccooo CcoMo oLdO L0dO3 coo LCoOM 0Cd0M oTo- cocoo 0oC3O dcLoO dIs- 0OCM3 CoO d coCMo "oLsOf
actual
0 CM M" CO CO
on
5 CO 03
(Based S .£ S
D>O"O.?-£=
Himalaya _C £DCO) CO1 3 ^ICTO) ^CLNOJ ^OO ^IC-OTC-lM- ^OOd^.XrLL<C-\OOd.J XOCdcOo —Td^^-^ ^Cdl^Oo^ocCN\oJdC„C^OO__o1_C^_O O^ oCO zCCcMDoizC^Od£cOCo)O ZO’Ot^CC1o-OD L0CoO0O CtNLM-O MOC^T-—O C^LLT—OOO SCCiCd^MOOoCtCC^+MM-M
co
Garhwal 03 "D CO
in > a) OC+JO CT-O CL+OO 00 O 03 CO O CoL+OO forest
hours
mixed
wallichii
_£& -CCEcOD CO t— CO 'sf CO O CM CO CO ^ CO CM 387.60 pine
=
Catreus CO LL
PMF-
spent
03 CO
Pheasant 15 *& OQL-L OCLiL. LoCLL L2L LOCLL LoCLL OCLLL oCLLL LoCLL LoCLL oCLLL oCLLL LL LL 2LL CLOLL OCLLL OCLLL OCLLL OCLLL oCLLL oCLLL 2LL OCLLL oCLLL oCLLL time forest;
0. CL CL CL CL
Total pine
o
Cohefer QCQCC0OOOD.. CU/J LU LLl LU LZLl L'ZU. CLUO LU LU U<J LSU UJ LU c5Zo §ZLU LU (LfU) CU/JD C§O CLOU CLUO 2ks4m.q4;.CcPhFi-r
CO 1
Records E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
o o o o o o o o o o o o o OO O O O O O 0 O O = chicks,
1: T0D 6hT0--3 oE 6rCT—-O dCoIMD dTNC—M; oirC—-D oTCI—OD orL^O- o1CL—OO ooE dotCTo-3 oi(?—) orTL--O T0CL-0OO» lo<IsT—-) L£O 1dL—O 0Cd1r—-^ TdCL—OO 0dTCL—OO dC1C—OO d1ILs-—O d1CL—OO F dC1LT—33 d01L—3O covered k*m;
Table i<E CpTM_ COCMD IITD) CrO- p ip Cp'rO_ c'Lr“oO ip p U) CC*O“3 CIs-O 1IL—DO TL_O CCMO CM CL/*"33 <zri-_ TL_O TLL“OO cTLo—O 0L3O TCr”M- Cp3
area
CC0o00£Ol ZooOCCT6>oMM— OOOCCCCCd60MlMMM oOCQCCooL60MMMoO oCzCOooCo>MM)O OoOCQo0C0d0MM30 “ooCCTdd3M3O CZCd0>|MM- “ooCCCCc33MOMM <ooTCCCL03-MMMO3<ooC0CC003MMM033oooCzC1I>o—MOD ooCLiCc0MOO3 oCC0oCoc3MO0M3 “CCdd03MM CCoLiC0MOO3 !oCCdC0OMO ooCo07,0M3 0C0'CCCc0sMMMMi3' OCO01*dd0—M“33 “OCOCCCCd0M3MMMO z0C0-Cd>OTMM— z00CCCCL>OMMMMO z00C0CC>0MMO ”0C0LCCd0d0MMOM CCOCOCd0MMMM OOCOC00MM3 <0C0CidC3—MDD kT9o6mt7a.;l6 idnednsiictayt/esq.
=
o-J 0 00 parentheses
7<0007) shoHcmsuc-c •1C30c—L "oJo3DZ s\Qz-.o"±e0c30-O "C<E0<MD: C<0O0D3T_dCoic00£lfD) T_coic00slfD:) 2C003^L Jo2E03Dc 2CO000ZL) JSsuLC00DZzO <oHo<QXrUC—0 C00QC00O.3SE0i0Zf) C00O3T"00C0EDO odc0i0f) 2000C0>0O030)itQC0Q0srDC3. C00” T0200QCC0D3.D_c0r0n0 3£c03 sh0ez--dh03- a*_C3C0O cC0QOn-CJdF0c00Q_ 00 CC2C00O0sML:L) 2C0CQ _cC0C030nD~»-'C0Eis-DfCOz) Tdwioaslttakaneclde Vitalhnuees
136 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007
SURVEY OF THREATENED CHEER PHEASANT
Slopeaspect
Fig.2b:SamplingintensityandnumberofCheerobservedacross
differentaspects
(threedifferent parameters used) ineachaltitude and habitat
Fig.2a: SamplingintensityandnumberofCheerobservedacross category are fairly consistent (Fig. 2a). About 75% of the
differenthabitatsandaltitudecategories surveyed areas are ofchirpine forest; and the altitude range
of1,501-1,750mcomprisesapproximately60%.Thenumberof
Encounterrateperkilometerwashighest(0.95)atBingarand birdssightedinthealtituderangeandhabitatcategory is more
lowest(0.10)atKhateli,whereasencounterrateperhourwas orlessproportional tothesamplingefforts,exceptin the PMF
highest(2.1 1)atAgroraandlowest(0.35)atPaukhal. habitatinthe2,001-2,250maltitudecategorywhereasignificantly
highernumberofbirdsweresighted.
HabitatPreference Table 3 illustratesthattheNEaspectwasusedmorein
Cheer Pheasant was recorded between 950-2,250 m both the habitattypes. The proportion ofbirds sighted in the
altitude and on all aspects in the chir pine and pine mixed NEaspectissignificantlygreaterascomparedtothesampling
forests comprised by Pinus roxburghii, Phyllanthus intensity (Fig. 2b). In the SW, S and SE aspects less birds
embellica, Quercus incana, Rhododendron arboreum, were sighted. The samplingeffort is lowest in SW aspect.
Myrica nagi (trees); Rhusparviflora, Woodfordiafruticosa,
Argemone sp. (shrubs) and grass species like Cymbopogon DISCUSSION
martinii, Heteropogon contortus, Anthistiria gigantea,
Saccharum sp. The present study is the first species-specific survey
Table 2 shows sighting ofCheer at different altitudes onCheerPheasantinGarhwal Himalaya. Becausethesurvey
and habitats, where the largest numberofCheerwere found team was very small, and as our data is based on direct
m
betweentirealtitude 1,501-1,750 andinchirpinehabitat.Cheer sightings, thecallscount methodalsosuitableforsurveying
wasobservedtousechirpineforest(CPF)below2,000m and CheerPheasant(Gaston 1980)wasnotused. CheerPheasant
pinemixedforest(PMF)above 1,500m.Thesamplingefforts isoneofthemostsoberlyfeatheredIndianpheasants(Singh
Table 2: NumberofCheerPheasantCatreuswallichiisightedatdifferentaltitudeandhabitats
Altitudeinm(abovemsl)
Habitat < 1000 1001-1250 1251-1500 1501-1750 1751-2000 2001-2250 TOTAL
CPF 4 7 55 180 27 0 273
PMF 0 0 0 26 20 31 77
TOTAL 4 7 55 206 47 31 350
CPF-Chirpineforest,PMF-Pinemixedforest
Table 3: NumberofCheerpheasant Catreuswallichiisightedatdifferentaspectsandhabitats
Slopeaspect
Habitat N NE E SE S SW W NW TOTAL
CPF 34 86 52 14 16 3 32 36 273
PMF 12 29 19 3 0 0 4 10 77
TOTAL 46 115 71 17 16 3 36 46 350
CPF-Chirpineforest, PMF-Pinemixedforest
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 137
SURVEY OF THREATENED CHEER PHEASANT
and Singh 1995) and a very shy bird. It emerges from thick (pine mixed forest) selection occurs from 1,501 m onwards,
vegetation cover only in the morning (from their roosting which illustrate that topography is an important component
tree)andalsofromlateafternoontill dusk.Again, itexhibits of cheer habitat. The proportionately significant sighting of
perfect camouflage with fallen pine needles and dry grass CheerPheasantinPMFatthealtitudecategoryof2,001-2,250nr
coverofthe habitats. Despite thedifficultiesin locatingthis (Fig.2a)isduetotheirgreateravailability(maximumnumber
pheasant, 129 individuals ofCheer Pheasant were recorded ofCheer- 12,wassightedinthiscategory).Thesightingsof
(this does not represent the actual population) at 26 sites. Cheerinchirpineforest(approximately75%,intermsofarea
129 individuals represent the cumulative total of the and number of sites) suggest a close relationship. Many of
maximumindividuals sightedateach site. Themeanoftotal the habitats (Garson 1983; Young et al. 1987; Sharma and
individuals sighted at each site (other than in case ofsingle Pandey 1989;Garsonetal. 1992)inotherareasofCheerrange
sighting)wouldgivealowervalue(asthedifferencebetween are alsoofChirpine. Cheerwasobserved moreonNEslope
maximumandminimumindividualssightedareashighas5); aspect (in both the habitats)andis moreorlessconcentrated
NW
and 350 individuals recorded are the cumulative total ofall from to Ethrough N. This gives aclearimpression that
the 89 sightings, where many individuals/groups were Cheerprefers slopesthatdo not receivedirect sunlight most
repeatedlysighted.Themaximumindividualssightedateach oftheday;andhavecomparatively softersoil,whichenables
site give a number closer to the actual population size. The it to dig out the dietary tubers and roots.
higher number of birds recorded during winter season is a Restriction of habitat selection to chir pine and pine
functionofwinterflocking(Kaul 1989)andmightrepresentthe mixed forest makes the Pheasant vulnerable toextinction as
actualpopulationsize.Theobservationofmaximumindividuals the grass cover of Anthistiria gigantea, Cymbopogon
(morethanapairinasinglesighting)duringthebreedingseason martinii, Heteropogon contortus, Saccharum rupifilum is
maybe the result ofsubadults (that cannotfind a mate) ofthe used for making brooms, cords, thatch ofcattle sheds. In all
previousyearaccompanyingthebreedingpair. surveyed Cheer habitats, it attracted the adjoining villagers
Sightings of the Cheer Pheasant at 26 different sites and nomadic tribes, leading to frequent habitat disturbance.
indicate a fair occurrence of this threatened pheasant in Fires,extensivegrazing,fodderandfuelcollectionwithinthe
Garhwal,Uttarakhand. Butlowdensitiesofpheasantindicate Cheer habitat is a common practice, except at few sites,
thatthisthreatenedspeciesisnotsafe inGarhwalalso. More e.g.Adwani,Bingar,UttraunandJoshimath,wherethehabitats
than a century ago, Hume and Marshall (1879) described were intactandalmostfreefromhumaninterventionsduring
CheerPheasantascommoninGarhwalandKumaonregions. the survey.
Thedecline inpopulationsofCheerfromacommonstatusin Though Cheeradapts well tothehuman interventions
the late 19th century to its current threatened state in the described; firesnecessaryformaintenanceoftheopengrass
GarhwalregionofHimalayaisthecumulativeeffectofmore and scrub communities (Gaston 1987a) can also result in
thanacenturylongpracticeofexcessivehuntingandhabitat brood losses during the nesting season. The eggs observed
degradation. at Ghurdori were destroyed due to forest fire. Such losses
DespitethecompletebanundertheWildlifeProtection along with predation (by Vulpes and Martes) and hunting
Act (1972), hunting ofpheasants during the winter months could lead to extermination ofthis threatened bird from the
isaprevailingandincreasingphenomenon.MostoftheCheer various Cheerholding sites ofthisregion.
sites thathave been located are underhunting pressure. For Thus, the persistence of the threatened monotypic
instance, at the Agrora site, 8 of the 9 birds sighted were Cheer Pheasant in the Garhwal region and elsewhere could
shot, leaving a single male; and at Ghurdori and Gumkhal onlybeensuredthroughproperhabitatmanagement,regular
(August 2001), we found the remains ofhunted birds. monitoringofpopulationsandparticularlyastrictandeffective
The presence ofCheerPheasant at 950matBirahi (in prohibition on poaching.
Chamoli district) is a significant observation, as these
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
pheasants have never been observed at such low altitudes.
Gosh(1997)hadunusualsightingsofapairofCheerPheasant
at4,545 m in Uttarakashi, butweneverencounteredthebird We thank the Ministry of Environment and Forests,
above 2,050 m. We believe that there might be more sites, Govt, ofIndia for granting the financial assistance. Thanks
which we could not locate due to lack of surveys at such are alsoduetotheChiefWildlifeWardenofUttarakhandfor
potential sites. granting permission to carry out the survey. We also extend
Cheerprefersanaltituderangeof1,251-2,250m(Table2) ourthankstomany otherpeople whoprovidedus secondary
inchirpineandpinemixedforest.Agradualchangeinhabitat information onoccurrence ofthe CheerPheasant.
138 1 Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007
.
SURVEY OF THREATENED CHEER PHEASANT
REFERENCES
Ail, S. & S.R Ripley (1983): Handbook of the Birds of India and Burma and Ceylon. Calcutta, 1: 169-176.
Pakistan.CompactEdition. OxfordUniversityPress,NewDelhi, Jerdon, T.C. (1864): The Birds of India. George Wyman, Calcutta,
737 pp. 876 pp.
Bland, J.D. (1987): Notes on the distribution and ecology of some Johnsgard, P.A. (1986): The Pheasants of the World. Oxford
Himalayan pheasants./ WorldPheasantAss. 12: 22-29. University Press, 300 pp.
Champion, H.G. & S.K. Seth (1968): A Revised Survey ofthe Forest Kaul, R. (1989): FunctionsofWinterflocking in theCheerPheasant
Types ofIndia. GovernmentofIndia Publication, Delhi, 404 pp. pp. 183-185. In: Hill, D.A., P.J. Garson & D. Jenkins (Eds.),
Delacour, J. (1977): The Pheasants of the World. 2nd edn. Spur PheasantsinAsia 1989.WorldPheasantAssociation.ReadingU.K.
Publication, England, 395 pp. Lelliott,A.D.(1981):CheerpheasantinWest-CentralNepal.J. World
Garson,P.J.(1983):TheCheerPheasantCatreuswallichiiinHimachal PheasantAss. 6: 89-95.
Pradesh: anupdate. J. WorldPheasantAss. 8: 29-39. Lelliott, A.D. (1987): Surveys of Cheer pheasants near Dhorpatan,
Garson, P.J., L. Young& R. Kaul(1992): Ecology andConservation WestNepal, pp.58-61.1981.In: Savage,C. D.W. & M.W. Ridley
oftheCheerPheasantCatreuswallichii:Statusinthewildandthe (Eds.), Pheasants in Asia 1982. Rekha Printers Pvt. Ltd.,
progress ofa reintroduction project. Biol. Conserv. 59: 25-35. NewDelhi.
Gaston, A.J. (1980): Census techniques for Himalayan pheasants Osmaston,A.E. (1921): Anote on the nidification and habits ofsome
including notes on individual species. J. World PheasantAss. birdsin BritishGarhwal.J. BombayNat. Hist. Soc. 28: 140-160.
5: 40-53. Rasool, T.J. (1984): Some observations on natural Cheer Pheasant,
Gaston,A.J. (1987a): Survey,census,monitoringandresearch-their Catreus wallichii population at Mukteshwar reserve forest,
role in pheasant conservation. Pp. 33-39. In: Savage, C.D.W & Kumaon, Nainital, U.P J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 81(2):
M.W. Ridley (Eds.),Pheasants inAsia 1982. Rekha PrintersPvt. 469-47I
Ltd.,NewDelhi. Roberts, T.J. (1970): A note on the pheasants of West Pakistan.
Gaston, A.J. (1987b): Maps of recent pheasant observations in the Pakistan J. For. 20: 319-326.
Himalayas.Pp. 65-77.In: Savage,C.D.W& M.W. Ridley(Eds.), Sathyakumar, S.. R.M. Athreya & V.R. Athreya (1992): The Cheer
Pheasants inAsia 1982. Rekha Printers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. Pheasant-Anew recording. WPANewsletter,pp. 37: 28.
Gaston,A.J., P.J.Garson& M.L. Hunter(1981): Presentdistribution Severinghaus, S.R., M. Asgar & Z.B. Mirza (1979): Selection of a
and status ofpheasant in Himachal Pradesh. J. World Pheasant releasesiteforthereintroductionofCheerpheasantsinPakistan.
Ass. 6: 10-30. J. WorldPheasantAss. 4: 100-115.
Gaston, A.J., P.J. Garson & M.L. Hunter (1983): The status and Sharma, V. & S. Pandey(1989): Pheasantsurveysin the Shimla hills
conservation of forest wildlife in Himachal Pradesh, Western ofHimachal Pradesh, India.J. WorldPheasantAss. 14: 64-78.
Himalaya. Biol. Conserv. 27: 291-314. Singh,K.R.&K.S.Singh(1995): PheasantinAsiaandtheiraviculture.
Gosh, S. (1997): Record of Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichii above Wildlife Institute ofIndia, Dehradun, 176 pp.
4,545 m in the western Himalaya. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. Young,L.,P.J. Garson&R. Kaul(1987):Callingbehaviorandsocial
94(3): 566. organization in the Cheer Pheasant: implication for survey
Hume, A.O. & C.H.T. Marshall (1879): The Game Birds of India, technique. ./. WorldPheasantAss. 12: 30-43.
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 104 (2), May-Aug 2007 139