Himalayan monal
Himalayan monal
Bird
An incredibly colorful pheasant that lives high in the Himalayan mountains.
💡 Fun Facts
- The males have dazzling, iridescent feathers in nine different colors to attract mates.
- They are strong diggers and use their curved upper beak to root around in the dirt and snow for insects and roots.
- They are the national bird of Nepal.
Name Story
Lophophorus impejanus
means “the crest-bearer”
What does its name mean?
- Lophophorus — crest-bearerGreek (lophos, 'crest' + -phoros, 'bearing')
- impejanus — named after Lady Mary Impey, who loved nature paintinga person's name
"Crest-bearer" is spot-on: the male of this dazzling mountain pheasant wears a slender, wiry, shimmering-green crest on top of his head, above feathers that flash copper, green, purple and blue.