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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Cheer Pheasant

Catreus wallichii (Hardwicke, 1827)

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

The Cheer Pheasant (Catreus wallichii) is one of the Himalayas' most majestic and threatened birds, often regarded as the "Silver King of the Himalayas." Its elegant silver-grey plumage is richly patterned with bold black streaks, complemented by a long barred tail and striking crimson facial skin that adds a regal touch. The male is larger, with a longer tail, brighter facial skin, and a more commanding appearance, while the female is slightly smaller, duller in colour, and better camouflaged for nesting among grasses and rocky slopes. Their diet includes seeds, grasses, roots, berries, shoot

The Cheer Pheasant (Catreus wallichii) is one of the Himalayas' most majestic and threatened birds, often regarded as the "Silver King of the Himalayas." Its elegant silver-grey plumage is richly patterned with bold black streaks, complemented by a long barred tail and striking crimson facial skin that adds a regal touch. The male is larger, with a longer tail, brighter facial skin, and a more commanding appearance, while the female is slightly smaller, duller in colour, and better camouflaged for nesting among grasses and rocky slopes. Their diet includes seeds, grasses, roots, berries, shoots, bulbs, insects, and other small invertebrates. They inhabit steep grassy hillsides, scrub-covered slopes, open forests, and alpine meadows, where they forage in small groups. Shy, resilient, and critically important to Himalayan ecosystems, the Cheer Pheasant stands as a symbol of hope, reminding us that protecting mountain habitats is the key to preserving one of nature's rarest royal treasures. Photographed in Uttarakhand, India

Shiv's fotografia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image source

Provider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.

Open encyclopedia reference

The cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichii), also known as Wallich's pheasant and chir pheasant, is a vulnerable species of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the only member in the genus Catreus. The scientific name commemorates Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich.

Wikipedia contributors, Cheer pheasant; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:55:37.795313+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Catreus wallichii (Hardwicke, 1827)
Name authority
(Hardwicke, 1827)
Common name
Cheer Pheasant
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Galliformes
Family
Phasianidae
Genus
Catreus
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAves
  9. orderGalliformes
  10. familyPhasianidae
  11. genusCatreus Cabanis, 1851
  12. speciesCatreus wallichii (Hardwicke, 1827)

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 123 records assigned to Phasianidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Lophophorus wallichii Hardwicke, 1827 Hardwicke, 1827synonym
Catreus wallichi (Hardwicke, 1827) (Hardwicke, 1827)synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Southern Asia

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176118 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:RW96. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.