India Mint Stamp

Lokith Philately

Permanent Pictorial cancellation of Himachal Pradesh

Permanent Pictorial Cancellation inaugural day covers

Date of issue: Not known

Pin code: 171001

Status: Active

PO Name: Shimla

Description: Monal, known as Jujurana in Himachal, was declared the state bird of Himachal Pradesh in 2007, at the meeting of the State Wildlife Board. It is also the state bird of Uttarakhand. It is known as the National bird of Nepal. Found in forested tracts between 2000 to 3500 meters altitude in the north-western Himalayan belt, This pheasant can be spotted in the higher reaches of Shimla, Kinnaur, Kangra, Kullu and Chamba mountains. The monal, known as the Impayan monal or Impayan pheasant, is a bird of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. Generally, they are found alone or in pairs. They prefer open, coniferous or mixed forests. Males use physical displays to attract females, shaking the head crest and fanning their tail feathers. The male monal looks quite different from the female. The adult male has multicoloured feathers. The male monal has bright blue, green, purple, pale yellow, brown, black and red feathers. Their tail is brown, wings are light brown and a white rump is visible during flight. The head is bright green, and the male has a metallic-green crest on top of his head. They have a bare patch of turquoise blue skin around their eye. The Monal is a Schedule I bird as per the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.