A comprehensive conservation study on the Cheer Pheasant (Catreus wallichii) was successfully conducted from May 6th to May 19th across various critical locations in the Myagdi and Baglung districts. The fieldwork was carried out in close coordination with the Division Forest Offices of Baglung and Myagdi as well as the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. The expert field team was comprised of key representatives from the Nepalese Ornithological Union (NOU), including President Hathan Ram Mahato, Vice President Manshanta Ghimire, Executive Director Laxman Prasad Poudyal, Research Officer Birat Raj Rajak, Member Keshab Chokhal, and Cheer Field Scouts Bhom Paija and Bhumi Karna BK.
The intensive survey was systematically conducted at Bagara in Myagdi from May 9–11, at Gurja Khani from May 13–15, and at Ghusakhani near Burtibang in the Baglung District from May 17–19. Dawn call count from the vantage points was used. The team successfully confirmed and recorded the presence of the Cheer Pheasant across all three of these surveyed locations. Comprehensive data evaluating their exact localized population status and immediate environmental threats are currently being analyzed and will be officially published in an upcoming technical report.
The Cheer Pheasant is an ecologically sensitive bird facing severe conservation pressures. Globally, it is recognized as a threatened species and classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, while it is assessed as nationally Endangered within Nepal. To ensure its survival, the species is strictly protected under Appendix I of CITES and is a listed protected species under Schedule 1 of Nepal’s National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. On a global scale, the species is found only within fragmented habitats across Nepal, India, and Pakistan. Within Nepal, its geographic distribution ranges westward from the Kaligandaki Valley, where it typically thrives at an altitudinal range between 1,445 and 3,050 meters. However, extreme altitudinal records for the species in Nepal have been documented as low as 1,378 meters in Bajura and as high as 3,450 meters in the Dhorpatan region.
Its critical habitats fall within several major protected zones, including the Annapurna Conservation Area, Api-Nampa Conservation Area, Rara National Park, and the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. Beyond these protected borders, its presence has been recorded across a wide network of districts, including Darchula, Baitadi, Dadeldhura, Doti, Bajura, Achham, Humla, Mugu, Jumla, Jajarkot, Rukum, Dolpa, Pyuthan, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Baglung, Myagdi, Mustang, and Parbat.
This vital conservation research was made possible through the generous funding support of the Toledo Zoo. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation provided the research permission. Fieldwork was conducted with the support from local communities.