Kalij Pheasant

The kalij pheasant is a pheasant of forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from India, Nepal and Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are 63 to 74cm long and females 50 to 60cm. Males vary by subspecies but all have at least partly glossy bluish-black plumage, while females are overall brownish. Both sexes have a bare red face and greyish legs (Wikipedia, general species account).

The subspecies divide roughly into two groups. In the western and central part of the range, males are mostly glossy blue-black with white to the rump or underparts in most forms, and the westernmost form has a white crest. In the eastern group the upperparts and tail are white or pale grey, densely vermiculated with black. The sources opened give nothing on diet or breeding.