The bird Himalayan snow cock. Habitat classification Distribution Anatomy Behaviour Status in Red Book Data Conservation Food an feeding

1. Muhammad Ahmad
M.SC Zoology
University Of Okara

2.  Classification
 Morphology
 Distribution
 Habitat
 Behavior
 Breeding
 Food and Feeding
 Red Data Book
 Conservation

3. • The Himalayan snow cock (Tetraogallus
himalayensis) is a snow cock in the pheasamt family
phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and
parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia.
• It is found on alpine pastures and on steep rocky
cliffs where they will dive down the hill slopes to
escape.
• It overlaps with the slightly smaller Tibetan
snowcock in parts of its wide range.

4.  The populations from different areas show
variations in coloration and about five
subspecies have been designated.
 They were introduced in mountains of Nevada
in the united states in the 1960s and the wild
populations has established in the Ruby
Mountains.

6.  The Hmalayan Snowcock is classified as
 Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Chordata
 Class: Aves
 Order: Galliforms
 Family: Phasianidaei

7.  Genus: Tetraogallus
 Species: T. Himalayensis
 Binomial name:
 Tetraogallus himalayensis

8. The Himalayan snowcock is a
large grey partridge-like bird, 55
to 74 cm in length and weighing 2
to 3 kg.
 The head pattern has a resemblance to the
smaller chukar patridge.
 The white throat and sides of the head are
bordered by chestnut moustachail stripe and a
dark broad chestnut band stretching from the
eye over the ear, expanding into the collar.

9.  . The upper parts are grey with feathers of the
 tump and the wings are bordered with rufous.
 The upper breast is grey with dark crescent
bars.
 The lower brest plumage is dark grey and the
sides of the body are streaked with black ,
chestnut and white. The under tail coverts are
white.

10.  The leg and orbital skin is yellow.
 Sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is
smaller and lacks the large tarsal spur of the
male.
 In flight, from above, the white primeries
tipped in black.
 And the rufous overtal feathers make it
distinctive.

11.  Native to the Himalayan region of southern Asia,
this huge grouse was introduced as a game bird
in the Ruby Mountains of northern Nevada
beginning in 1963.
 There it lives on steep and barren slopes above
treeline, in remote areas that birders may visit
only with a major effort.

12.  The Himalayan snow cock is currently not
threatened, but its limited range poses a
potential threat to its continued success.
Although the snow cock is hunted throughout
its range, its roosts are fairly inaccessible to
most inexperienced hunters because of the
high altitudes.

14.  Native to Afghanistan, India, China, Kyrgyzstan,
Nepal, Russian Federation, Pakistan, Kazakhstan,
Nepal, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, this
bird prefers rocky areas and temperate grassland
ecosystems.
 The global population of this bird is estimated at
200,000 individuals and does not show signs of
decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN
Red List.
 For this reason, the current evaluation status of the
Himalayan Snow cock is Least Concern.

15.  In 1961 the similarity of the Himalayan
landscape to the Nevada region was noted and
the Himalayan snow cock was considered as a
good game bird for introduction by the Nevada
Fish and Game Commission.
 The Commission then approached the
President of Pakistan for some birds

16.  . These were wild trapped in Hunza and early
shipments faced heavy losses after which birds
were locally reared at Mason Valley game farm
and over a 15-year period (1965–1979) more
than 2000 birds were released into the wild.
 A wild population more than 200 to 500 birds
has established itself in the Ruby Mountains,
where they forage above the treeline

17.  The Himalayan snow cock inhabits the rocky
alpine slopes of western and central China.
 In the summer; the bird resides in the western
Himalayas Kashmir; Laddaakh, Punjab, Garhwal,
Kumaos,
western Nepal between 13,000-18,000′. The snow
cock descends to elevations of 8,000′ or lower
during severe winters.

Himalayan hideaway The snow cock’s home is
beautiful but isolated.

18. A strong runner; the Himalayan snowcock rarely
flies except to escape from danger With its rounded
wings, the bird cannot sustain flight for long periods
of time and remains sedentary within a few miles of
its birthplace.
When the bird does fly, however, it usually takes off
from a rock and makes a steep dive down the
hillside, often without flapping its wings.

19.  . The snow cock travels in pairs or parties of up to
20, scrambling down hillsides during the day in
search of water and then back up by nightfall.
 When faced with natural predators, such as the
snow leopard, the snow cock either bursts into
sudden flight, flapping its wings rapidly, or runs
uphill on its short, strong legs with a waddling
gait; its plumage blends with the background.

20.  During the breeding season, from April to June,
the male snow cock is especially noisy, repeating a
prolonged whistle as he stands on a rock or
mound.
 The monogamous male pursues the female in a
crouched position with his tail held vertically in
the air:
 The courtship ceremony continues as he walks
around the female with his head lowered, making
periodic dashes for a rock or mound.

22.  While mating, the female gets so badly mauled by the
male that her crown is often left bare of feathers and
her skin bruised and red.
The female scratches out a nest hollow among stones
and boulders in the open or under a ledge, and lays 5-7
eggs.
 The oval eggs vary in color from pale yellow to
reddish buff with specks of red-brown.

24.  The female has developed two brood patches, one on
either side between the thighs, which help keep the
large clutch warm, and she incubates the eggs for
about 3 I days.
 Newly hatched chicks are covered in down.
 The upper parts are variegated stone gray with black
tips and pale buff markings.

25.  The head is very pale creamy buff with four
black lines. Their feet are yellow but will turn
the adult reddish color as the birds mature.
 Courtship crouch The male snow cock’s neck
and tail feathers expand during crouching
courtship displays designed to impress the
female.
 The white neck feathers with their black webs
resemble a ruffled tuxedo shirt.

26.  The Himalayan snowcock begins its day by
descending in the morning from its mountain-top
home to seek a drink of water at ground level.
 As the day warms up, the bird begins its slow
ascent, usually in a party of 3-5 birds; it feeds on
roots, tubers, berries, green vegetable matter, grass
and seeds that it digs up with its stout bill.
 The bird also swallows a great deal of grit, which
is used in the muscular part of the stomach
(gizzard) to help grind the tough plant parts that
the snowcock eats.

27.  The grit is usually retained in the gizzard,
while the rest of the food continues its passage
through the digestive tract.
 While on the ground, the Himalayan snow
cock uses its powerful feet to scratch for buried
insects and bulbous roots that grow on the
slopes.

28.  The bird is a noisy eater and continually clucks as it
feeds; the clucks change to cackles if danger is
encountered.
 During the winter, the snowcock forages for vegetable
material not covered by snow.

30.  A Grassy glory Seeding grass heads are a staple
of the Himalayan snow cock’s diet.

The Himalayan snow cock emits a strong and
disgusting stench within a few hours after being
killed.
W
 hen it is quickly and properly cleaned, Himalayan
snow cock meat is said to have both an excellent
flavor and texture

31.  No record found in Red Data Book.

32.  The Himalayan snow cock is currently not
threatened, but its limited range poses a potential
threat to its continued success.
 Although the snow cock is hunted throughout its
range, its roosts are fairly inaccessible to most
inexperienced hunters because of the high
altitudes.