Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra

The Satyr Tragopan is a pheasant native to the Himalayas through India, Nepal and Tibet in forests and undergrowth at an altitude of some 10,000 feet (+/- 3-4,000).

The male Satyr Tragopan at first sight is unimpressive for a pheasant although its rich red coat has an intricate lace pattern dotted with white pearls.

The name Tragopan comes from the Latin for Tragus, a he-goat, and Pan, the half-goat god. Satyrs are Pan's goat-like companions, so this pheasant has its full share of goat names in view of the fleshy, inflatable "horns" it extends in courtship together with a blue inflatable wattle. It is also known as the Crimson Horned Pheasant.

While beautifully patterned in her own right, the hen, like most pheasants, is brown and much less showy so that she and her nest/chicks blend in with the undergrowth. The two birds shown above right were born in captivity and are being returned to the wild in India.

The male Satyr Tragopan comes into his own in courtship when he not only inflates his blue goat-like "horns" but extends his stunning blue- and crimson-bordered wattle with a bright blue centre and displays it like a giant tongue.