Kalij Pheasant
Lophura leucomelanos
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderGalliformes (Landfowl)
- FamilyPhasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies)
- GenusLophura (Gallopheasants)
- SpeciesLophura leucomelanos (Kalij Pheasant)
About the Kalij Pheasant
The kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos), or simply kalij, is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from India, Nepal, Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have at least partially glossy bluish-black plumage, while females are overall brownish. Both sexes have a bare red face and greyish legs (the latter separating it from the red-legged silver pheasant). It is generally widespread, though three of its eastern subspecies (L. l. oatesi, L. l. lineata, and L. l. crawfurdi) are considered threatened and L. l. moffitti is virtually unknown in the wild.
The name is also spelled kaleege in old texts, such as Game Birds of India and Asia by Frank Finn, though no longer in his Indian Sporting Birds. The species was introduced to Hawaii in 1962 as a gamebird. On 21 October 2021, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir declared the kalij pheasant as bird of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The kalij pheasant is closely related to the silver pheasant, and the two are known to hybridize. The placement of the taxa L. l. lineata and L. l. crawfurdi has been a matter of... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Manas National Park
Common Peafowl
Pavo cristatus
Red Junglefowl
Gallus gallus
Swamp Francolin
Ortygornis gularis
Black Francolin
Francolinus francolinus
Asian Blue Quail
Synoicus chinensis
White-cheecked Hill Partridge
Arborophila atrogularis
Common Quail
Coturnix coturnix
Chestnut-breasted Hill Partridge
Arborophila mandellii
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 4 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Khangchendzonga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Kalij Pheasant in Manas National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Kalij Pheasant sighting in Manas National Park, based on 316 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Kalij Pheasant in Manas National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Kalij Pheasant in Manas National Park in our monthly data.