NIDIFICATION RECORD OF HIMALAYAN MONAL Lophophorus impejanus, IN GULMARG WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, J & K, INDIA

We studied the breeding biology of Himalayan Monal in the 09 sampling sites of Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary, Jammu and Kashmir from March 2017 to June 2019.Himalayan monal Lophophorus impejanus is a bird in the Phasianidae family of Galliformes order. Prior to this study, there was no data on the breeding biology of Himalayan monal in Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary, Jammu and Kashmir, India.The mean group size was found to be 3.54±1.80 and the sex ratio was found to be female skewed 12:16.Breeding season of Himalayan monal starts in April and it was observed just in the commencement of April, male monal was showing strong courtship display and aggression towards other males.  According to the observations,ten nests were observed with only seven nests occupied by Himalayan monal. The eggs found in the nests were oval in shape, dull white with reddish brown spots and paler appearance.The clutch size ranged between 2 to 5 which showed strong positive correlation with the depth of nest cavity. The depth of nest cavity and clutch size were statistically significant (P =0.001).Incubation period was recorded to be 27-29 days. The outcome of this study would also draw attention to the hotspot areas significant in terms of conservation of pheasant species. This study would come out with area specific problems for pheasant species conservation.