Distribution and Conservation Status of the Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus in Jammu and Kashmir, India

In India, western tragopan is reported from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. We documented the current status and distribution of western tragopan in J&K. We also predicted its potential distribution in the state. We used literature, field surveys and semi-structured questionnaire surveys to ascertain the distribution and conservation status of the pheasant species in J&K. Between 2007 and 2011, we conducted counts of western tragopan in five areas: Tattakuti Wildlife Sanctuary, Khara Galli Conservation Reserve (CR), Limber Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), Lacchipora WLS and Kazinag National Park (NP) to assess its current status. We estimated 113 callers of western tragopan from Kazinag NP, Limber WLS, Lacchipora WLS, Tattakuti WLS and Khara Galli CR. We also discovered four new sites - Tattakuti WLS and Khara Galli CR (through direct surveys), Noorpur Galli and Narian-Ratannard (through secondary surveys) - of this species. We have confirmed the presence of western tragopan in Lacchipora WLS and re-confirmed its presence in Padder, Bhadarwa and Sudh Mahadev. Our habitat model predicted potential distribution of western tragopan, adding few additional potential sites. There is an urgent need to plan long-term monitoring and initiate appropriate measures to conserve the species.