animals and birds
Plants
Poinsettia
Nepal is a paradise for botanists. With so many climatic zones, it’s no surprise to find that there are in excess of 6500 different types of plants, flowers, trees, grasses and growths of all dispositions across the country. Many of the plants favoured by gardeners in the West have their origins in the Himalayas; Joseph Hooker, a noted 19th-century explorer and botanist, discovered many of these as he explored Sikkim and eastern Nepal.
Rhododendron
The lowland jungles and slopes of the Siwalik foothills are home to sal trees, simal, sissoo, khair and mahogany. Hugging the Mahabharat ranges and higher you find the ubiquitous pipal and banyan trees, like an inseparable couple shading porter rest-stops (chautaara). Chestnut, chilaune and bamboo occur in profusion, and in the cloud forests are a myriad of lichens, ferns, rattens and dripping lianas. The prolific orchids, magnolia, broadleaf temperate oaks and rhododendron (locally called laliguras) colonise the higher hillsides. Higher up are spruce, fir, blue pine, larch, hemlock, cedar and sweet-smelling juniper. Poplar and willow are found along the upper tree line; in the high meadows look out for berberis. Even in the highest meadows, hardy flowers and plants, such as colourful gentians, survive.
Animals
With such a wide variety of plantlife and breadth of climatic range Nepal is home to a diverse population of mammals, reptiles and birds. The lowland Terai is home to the spectacular Asian one-horned rhino, elephant, spotted deer and sambar deer, as well as the odd sloth bear, leopard and tiger, which are rarely seen. Gharals, marsh mugger crocodiles, alligators and snakes lurk in the murky waters of the lowland marshes and rivers that drain into the holy Ganges River. These once-thick jungles still host an amazing number of semi-tropical birds, despite clearance for agriculture. The middle hills are extensively cultivated, but still hide a variety of animals. Monkeys and langurs abound in the forests.
At altitude look for marmot, pika (small mouse-like animal, related to the rabbit), weasel, ermine, Himalayan hare, brown bear, wild dog, blue sheep, Tibetan sheep, wolf, thar (species of large deer) and the famed musk deer (a prized trading item in the past). Skittish wild ass, the kyang, are only found in the northern zones of Mustang and Nar-Phu. Wild yaks do still roam in isolated, remote valleys, but most are now domesticated. As well as the infamous butter tea, yak milk is also used by nomads to produce cheese and yoghurt. The dzo – a cross between a yak and a cow – is commonly used as a pack animal. Herders keep sheep and goats, as well as yaks. The snow leopard is rarely encountered and virtually never photographed. Hunting blue sheep in the dawn or twilight hours, they are extremely wary and unlikely to show themselves. Television crews with big budgets have waited many years to get any film of these beautiful creatures. If you see a yeti, do let us know!
Note that trekkers need not worry about encountering dangerous animals in the Annapurnas in general, although domestic guard dogs occasionally show more interest than is desirable.
Birds
(contributed by Rajendra Suwal, WwF Nepal)
The incredible diversity of the Annapurnas offers naturalists the perfect environment for discovering a wealth of birdlife. Its unique habitats shelter diverse groups of bird species. Birds move mostly in flocks, hunting insects at different levels in the forest. During quiet times you might spot 5–12 different species, determined by season. There are diurnal, seasonal and altitudinal migrants; birds such as the cuckoo visit during the spring for breeding.
As the first rays of sun hit the forests, the insects stir into life and the insectivores, including the colourful long-tailed minivet, and green-backed, black-lored and black-throated tits, begin foraging. Nectarine-, fruit- and berry-eating birds are active early in the day. Trees with berries or flowers are magnets for multiple species, namely whiskered, stripe-throated, rufous-naped and white-browed tits. The forest between Ghorepani and Tadapani is a good place to encounter the great parrotbill, spotted laughing thrush, and the velvet, rufous-bellied and white-tailed nuthatch.
The most rewarding forest habitats are those of Timang, Chame and Pisang, around Ghandruk, Tadapani, Ghorepani, Ghurjung and en route to Annapurna Base Camp. Try to catch a glimpse of the golden-breasted, white-browed and rufous-winged fulvetta. The forest is full of red-tailed, rufous-tailed and blue-winged minla. The tapping of the rufous-bellied, crimson-breasted and pied woodpeckers occasionally interrupts the silence. The forests are alive with the beautiful scarlet, spotted and great rose finch, along with the spot-winged grosbeak. Birdwatchers will be amazed to see tiny warblers, including chestnut-crowned, Whistler’s, black-faced, grey-hooded and ashy-throated warblers. Nepal cutia is found in forests of alder.
Smart sunbirds found in flowering trees include the black-throated, green-tailed, fire-tailed and purple sunbird. Fire-breasted flowerpeckers are found near settlements, in the flowering trees and mistletoe. Large-billed crows scavenge on kitchen leftovers or raid village crops. Flocks of red and yellow-billed chough forage around farms or high above the passes. The olive-backed pipit, magpie, robin and common tailorbird are found near farms, along with the common stonechat and the grey, collared, white-tailed and pied bushchat.
Streams and riverbanks are teeming with frisky birds. The pristine environment of the Modi Khola is a very rewarding habitat for river birds, including white-capped water redstart and plumbeous redstart; little, spotted, black-backed and slaty-backed forktail; brown dipper, grey wagtail and blue whistling-thrush. Other common birds are the red-vented, black bulbul, great and blue-throated barbet, and also coppersmith barbet in the lower reaches. On some overhanging cliffs below Landruk, Chhomrong and Lamakhet near Siklis are honeycombs made by the world’s largest honeybees, where you may spot the oriental honeyguide.
Ravens are acrobatic birds, seen in the alpine zones. The blue pine forest is a habitat of the very vocal spotted nutcracker, while orange-bellied leafbirds prefer the upper canopies. More treasures are the tiny Nepal, scaly-breasted and pygmy wren babblers, feeding under the ferns, with their high-pitched territorial calls. With its high-pitched sound, the jewel-like, tiny chestnut-headed tesia is a wonderful bird to see in moist undergrowth.
The mountains near Lete and Ghasa harbour all the pheasant species found in Nepal, namely the kalij, koklass and cheer pheasant. Shy by nature, one can hear them before dawn. In the rhododendron and oak forest look for ringal, and in cane bamboo watch for satyr tragopan and blood pheasant. The Himalayan munal, the national bird of Nepal, favours the tree line and pastures.
The Kali Gandaki River Valley is one of the major ‘flyways’ of migratory birds, including demoiselle cranes, birds of prey, black storks and many varieties of passerines. Migrating eagles, including the steppe and imperial, as well as small birds of prey, pied and hen harriers and common buzzards also use it. Observing the annual autumn migration of thousands of demoiselle cranes is very rewarding. To gain height and glide over the peaks, they catch the thermals in the windshadow of the mountains. If the weather turns bad, they wait in the buckwheat fields and riverbanks. The golden eagle, the master predator, anticipates their arrival and attacks the cranes in-flight, occasionally separating a young, injured or sick crane from the flock, catching them in the air. This epic migration was broadcast as part of the ‘Planet Earth’ Mountain Series on the BBC/Discovery Channel.
The skies of Annapurna host the vulture and majestic lammergeyers (with 3m wingspans). Himalayan and Eurasian griffons soar, lifting every onlooker’s spirit. Some ethnic groups of Mustang practise sky burial and believe the vultures pass the spirits to the heavens. Cliffs are breeding sites for vultures and lammergeyer. All the vulture species of Nepal, including the
