Chinese monal

The Chinese monal or Chinese impeyan is a species in the pheasant family Phasianidae native to west-central China, where it is restricted to the mountains of western Sichuan and southern Gansu.

Description

This is the largest of the three monals and, by weight, is one of the larger species of Phasianidae, after the turkeys, the peafowls, and the capercaillies. Males measure in length while females measure. The mean weight is reported to be.
The male has a large drooping purple crest, a metallic green head, blue bare skin around the eyes, a reddish gold mantle, bluish green feathers, black underparts, and a white rump; the plumage is highly iridescent. The female is dark brown with white on its throat.

Etymology

The scientific name, lhuysii, commemorates the French statesman Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys.

Status

Due to ongoing habitat loss and degradation, limited range and illegal hunting, the Chinese monal is evaluated as vulnerable on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

In captivity

and Beijing Zoo have kept Chinese monal but all attempts to establish a captive breeding population failed.