Satyr tragopan

Tragopan satyra

Photo by John Corder (Arkive)

Common name:

satyr tragopan (en); tragopan-sátiro (pt); tragopan satyre (fr); tragopán sátiro (es); satyrtragopan (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

This Asian species is found in the Himalayan reaches of India, China, Nepal and Bhutan.

Size:

Satyr tragopans are 61-71 cm long and weigh 1-2,1 kg.

Habitat:

These birds are found in moist oak and rhododendron forest with dense undergrowth and bamboo clumps, mixed forest, scrub and densely vegetated ravines, usually between 2.200-4.250 m in the breeding season, sometimes moving down to 1.800 m in winter.

Diet:

Satyr tragopans mostly eat the petals, buds and leaves of plants such as the paper laurel, rhododendrons, ferns, daphne, and bastard cinnamon. They also eat bamboo shoots, rhododendron seeds and bulbs from the onion family. They also eat invertebrates such as earwigs, ants, cockroaches, spiders and centipedes.

Breeding:

These birds breed in May-June, although some birds may not breed until July at higher elevations. The nest is made of sticks and twigs, placed on a tree or scrub about 6 m above the ground and well concealed from view. There the female lays 2-3 buff-colored eggs with reddish-brown dots. The eggs are incubated for 28 days. The chicks are able to fly and perch 2-3 days after hatching, but remain with their mother for their first year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)

This species has a relatively small breeding range and a global population of just 10.000-20.000 individuals. There are no data on population trends, but hunting and habitat degradation due to timber harvesting, fuelwood and fodder collection and livestock grazing, are suspected to be causing a slow decline.