Monarchs of the mountains

While one side of the Kajinag National Park is home to the markhor, the elusive wild goat with spiralling horns, the other side boasts a variety of birds, including the flamboyant Khalij pheasant, the national bird of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

The markhor is an elusive animal, so it is not easy to spot it.

Jainy Maria Kuriakose at the Kajinag National Park.

With a flowing beard, the markhor looks like a character in ‘Tales from the Arabian Nights’.

The varied terrain of the Kajinag National Park includes rocks, grasslands, scrub jungles and pine trees.

The cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichii), also known as Wallich’s pheasant, is a vulnerable species of the pheasant family, Phasianidae.

The koklass pheasant, commonly found in Kazinag.

The Khalij pheasant, the national bird of Jammu and Kashmir.

The orange bullfinch, another bird species endemic to the Kashmir valley.

The Kashmir nutcracker (Nucifraga multipunctata) is a jay-like bird with a long pointed bill, a black cap, and white spots all over.

The metallic blue Himalayan monal, with its fine dark crest and blue eye patches, is one of the attractions at the Kajinag National Park.

The tawny owl, believed to be endemic to Kashmir.

The western tragopan is mostly seen in the greater Himalaya National Park, and has also been spotted in Kajinag.

The Kashmir nutthatch, a species of bird in the family Sittidae, is found primarily in the mid-altitudes of the Himalayas.

Dr Jainy Maria Kuriakose.

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The markhor features in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species.