Himalayan Snowcock

Overview

Himalayan Snowcock: Very wary ground dweller, white face, throat outlined with chestnut stripes, brown collar around neck, gray-brown overall, tan streaked upperparts, white undertail coverts, gray bill, orange-red feet and legs. Flies down mountain each morning, walks back up, eating as it goes.

Range and Habitat

Himalayan Snowcock: Native of Asia and introduced to the Ruby Mountians in Nevada. Prefers mountains and wooded canyons.

INTERESTING FACTS

Himalayan Snowcocks were introduced to the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada in 1963. A small population of 250-500 birds exists.
Because of the difficulty in accessing the habitat of this species, and because of its elusive sporting characteristics, it has become a trophy game bird for sportsmen.
It has also drawn considerable attention from birders who wish to add this species to their life list.

The Himalayan Snowcock has a large range, estimated globally at 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 square kilometers. 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 Snowcock is Least Concern.