Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

Also known as Chilme in Nepali, the Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) is the State Bird of Sikkim since monarch rule. It is a small fowl bird. This species' name comes from the fact that the males have vivid red coloring on the feathers of the breast, throat and forehead. Females are more uniformly colored with duller shades of reddish-brown. (Pic :  Kushel Gurung)

Photos From Top- Blood pheasant, satyr tragopan and Himalayan monal Gangtok, Oct. 31:  The blood pheasant, and not the satyr tragopan or the Himalayan monal, is the state bird of Sikkim, the forest department has clarified in a bid to correct a widely held misconception.  Photographs of the satyr tragopan (Tragopan satyra), locally called “munal” and the Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) are often depicted in books, magazines and posters, including some published by the Sikkim tourism department, as the state bird. “The lack of awareness among people about the state’s wildlife species is leading to tragi-comic situations,” said Usha Ganguli-Lachungpa, a senior researcher of the Sikkim forest, wildlife management and environment department.  She clarified that the blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus), locally called “chilimey” in Nepali and “semo” in Bhutia is the state bird. It is found in the h...