Wildlife of Wolong: The 'rainbow' in the misty mountain
Like mandarin ducks and many pheasant species, male Chinese monals are more dashing and colorful than the females. Their iridescent plumage look like "rainbows" in the misty mountain of Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The females, who take the job of hatching eggs and nurturing fledglings, have a rather dull color to blend naturally into the environment, which ensures their safety.
Chinese monals live all year around in forests and bushes at an altitude above 3,000 meters. They often forage at dawn and dusk. They make good use of misty fog and rainy weather to forage and migrate in long distances, which also allows them to hide from predators.
The local people in Wolong have many nicknames for the Chinese monal. Some call it "beimuji (è´æ¯é¸¡)" because it likes to eat yellow Himalayan fritillary (å·è´æ¯). The others call it "yingji (鹰鸡)" as it can glide in the air like the eagle. Read More...
