Catreus wallichi

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Pangalloanserae
Cladus: Galloanseres
Ordo: Galliformes

Familia: Phasianidae
Subfamilia: Phasianinae
Genus: Catreus
Species: Catreus wallichii
Name

Catreus wallichii (Hardwicke, 1827)
Synonyms

Lophophorus wallichii (protonym)
Phasianus wallichii

References

Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (1) 15: p. 166.
IUCN: Catreus wallichii (Vulnerable)

Vernacular names
العربية: تدرج هتاف
български: Фазан присмехулник
brezhoneg: Fazan Wallich
català: Faisà de Wallich
Cymraeg: Ffesant Wallich
dansk: Topfasan
English: Cheer Pheasant
Esperanto: Valiĉa fazano
Gaeilge: Piasún Cír
עברית: פסיון ואליש
हिन्दी: चीर
magyar: Bóbitás fácán
日本語: カンムリキジ
lietuvių: Himalajinis kuoduotasis fazanas
नेपाली: चीर
Nederlands: Cheerfazant
polski: Bażant himalajski
پنجابی: ریاڑ
српски / srpski: Хималајски фазан
svenska: klippfasan
தமிழ்: சீர் பெசன்ட்
中文: 彩雉

The cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichii), also known as Wallich's pheasant or chir pheasant, is a vulnerable species of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the only member in the genus Catreus. The scientific name commemorates Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich.

Description
Cheer pheasant (male) at Pangot, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
Cheer pheasant pair sighted near Lata village, Nanda Devi National Park
Pair of cheer pheasants near winter Lata village on the periphery of Nanda Devi National Park

These birds lack the color and brilliance of most pheasants, with buffy gray plumage and long, gray crests. Its long tail has 18 feathers and the central tail feathers are much longer and the colour is mainly gray and brown. The female is slightly smaller in overall size.

Cheer pheasant pair from Himalaya, India

Cheer pheasant pair from Himalaya, India
Painting from Hume and Marshall, 1880, Gamebirds of India, Burma, Ceylon

Painting from Hume and Marshall, 1880, Gamebirds of India, Burma, Ceylon

Behaviour and ecology

Males are monogamous. They breed on steep cliffs during summer with a clutch of 10 to 11 eggs.[3] In studies conducted in upper Beas Valley, cheer pheasant was found to be sensitive to human disturbance.[4][5]
Habitat and distribution

The cheer pheasant is distributed in the highlands and scrublands of the Himalaya region of India, Nepal and Pakistan. They are found mainly in western Nepal, Uttarakhand (Kumaon and Garhwal), Himachal Pradesh (Shimla, Kullu and Chamba), and Jammu and Kashmir in northwestern India, and Hazara division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northern Pakistan. Surveys in 1981 and 2003 in the Dhorpatan area of western Nepal established 70 calling sites, suggesting substantial numbers exist in this area (about 200 birds).[6][7][8] In another survey in 2010, cheer pheasants were detected in 21 calling sites in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.[4] They are found mainly above 6000 feet altitude and up to 10000 feet in summer.[3]
Status and conservation

Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, and hunting in some areas, the cheer pheasant is evaluated as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.[9] Attempts to reintroduce captive-bred cheer pheasants in Pakistan have been unsuccessful.[10]
References

BirdLife International (2017). "Catreus wallichii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22679312A112455142. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22679312A112455142.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Baker, EC Stuart (1918) The game birds of India, Burmay and Ceylon. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 26(1):1-5 scan
Jolli, Virat; Srivastav, A; Thakur, S (2011). "Patch occupancy for cheer pheasant Catreus wallichii in the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area" (PDF). International Journal of Galliformes Conservation. 2: 74–81. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
Jolli, Virat & Pandit, M. K. (2011). " Influence of Human Disturbance on the Abundance of Himalayan Pheasant (Aves, Galliformes) in the Temperate Forest of Western Himalaya, India". Vestnik Zoologii 45 (6): e40-e47. doi:10.2478/v10058-011-0035-0
Lelliott, A.D.(1981) Cheer Pheasants in west-central Nepal. World Pheasant Assoc. 6:89-95
"PSG Project round-up" (PDF). Newsletter of the WPA/BirdLife/Species Survival Commission. Pheasant Specialist Group. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
"Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve". birdlife.org. Birdlife International. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
"Appendices I, II and III". cites.org. CITES. Archived from the original on 16 November 2008. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
"Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichi". birdlife.org. Birdlife International. Retrieved 8 December 2010.