Back to Field Guide
Himalayan Snowcock
Tetraogallus himalayensis
Range & Recent Observations
Last Spotted Near You
About the Himalayan Snowcock
The Himalayan snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayensis) is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia. It is found on alpine pastures and on steep rocky cliffs where they will dive down the hill slopes to escape. It overlaps with the slightly smaller Tibetan snowcock in parts of its wide range. The populations from different areas show variations in the colouration and about five subspecies have been designated. They were introduced in the mountains of Nevada in the United States in the 1960s and a wild population has established in the Ruby Mountains.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Tetraogallus himalayensis
- Family
- Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Order
- Galliformes
Similar species
Other members of the pheasants, grouse, and allies family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus
- Blue-breasted Quail Synoicus chinensis
- Brown Quail Synoicus ypsilophorus
- Chukar Alectoris chukar
- Common Quail Coturnix coturnix
- Dusky Grouse Dendragapus obscurus
- Erckel's Spurfowl Pternistis erckelii
- Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus
- Gray Francolin Ortygornis pondicerianus
- Gray Partridge Perdix perdix
- Gray Peacock-Pheasant Polyplectron bicalcaratum
- Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
Know when the Himalayan Snowcock turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Himalayan Snowcock
Optics
Best Binoculars for Beginners
You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.
8 min readRead guide
Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
12 min readRead guide