The Himalayan Monal is a large brightly coloured pheasant from the Himalayas. It is the state bird of the state of Uttarakhand in India. Although most people photograph Monals from the Western Himalayas, it is also widely available in the upper reaches of Sikkim. Probably the best place to sight a monal in the Eastern Himalayas is Zuluk. Interestingly, the most monals I have photographed was in and around Thambi view point, which is a well-known touristic point, where people go to view the majestic Kanchanjungha range and the iconic turns of the silk route!