Koklass Pheasant

Koklass Pheasant, Pucrasia macrolopha is a species of pheasant in the Tetraonini tribe. Despite the word pheasant in its name, it is closely related to grouses, but some authors put it in Lophophorini.

It is the only species in the genus Pucrasia, but has nine subspecies grouped into three groups: Himalayan group, which includes macrolopha, castanea, biddulphi (with bethelae) and nipalensis, Golden-collared group, with xanthospila, meyeri and ruficollis, and Eastern group, including darwini and joretiana;

Desciption
A large, short-tailed pheasant, with 58 – (tail 22 –), 1135 –;  52.5 – (tail 17 –), 930 –.

Males have a bottle green head, white neck patch, prominent ear-tufts with it lacking bare facial or wattle skin; has crown and long nuchal crest grey-buff.

Subspecies
Himalayan group

Golden-collared group

Eastern group

Distribution/habitat
From the Himalayas to China; steep slopes in coniferous and mixed forested mountains, at 600 - 1900 m in temperate zone.