Potential Distribution of two sympatric pheasant species in Sikkim Himalayas

Abstract

The Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos and Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra are sympatric pheasant species distributed across the high-altitude forests of the Himalayas, sharing overlapping ecological niches in the region. These species face several conservation challenges like deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and urbanization throughout their range. Although both the species are protected under Wildlife Protection Act of India, their spatial occurrence patterns and habitat requirements remain poorly documented in the eastern Himalayan region. The study presents potential distribution for both the species in the Sikkim Himalayas through Maximum Entropy modeling (MaxEnt) approach. Training datasets comprised 67 occurrence records for Kalij Pheasant and 143 records for Satyr Tragopan. Model outputs demonstrated robust predictive accuracy (Kalij Pheasant: AUC = 0.95; Satyr Tragopan: AUC = 0.94), delineating 1241.80 sq. km (17.5%) and 280.29 sq. km (3.95%) as very highly suitable habitats for Kalij Pheasant and Satyr Tragopan, respectively. This is the first baseline distribution study of both sympatric pheasant species in Sikkim Himalayas.