Himachal Pradesh recorded a survival rate of 100% among reintroduced Cheer Pheasants in 2024–25, compared with 11.11% in 2019–20. During Wildlife Week in October 2026, 12 captive-bred birds—two males, two females and eight chicks—were soft-released near Koti in Shimla district.
Species and conservation status
The Cheer Pheasant, locally called “Chir Tittar”, is classified as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In India, it is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Its conservation is linked to the protection of suitable grassland habitat. Habitat degradation is a major threat to the species. Grasslands are affected by forest fires, grazing and fodder collection. These pressures can reduce the habitat available to the pheasant.
Captive breeding and reintroduction
The Khadiyun Cheer Pheasant Breeding Centre at Chail in Solan district leads the state’s reintroduction programme. It has released 77 captive-bred birds into the wild to date and housed 58 adult birds as of October 2026, comprising 23 males and 35 females. The programme uses parent-rearing, gradual soft-release and post-release monitoring. Radio transmitters and camera traps are used to monitor released birds. No birds were released in 2025–26, when the Wildlife Department designated the year for population consolidation.
Release sites and monitoring
The October 2026 release at Moi Jubbar in the Koti area of Shimla district established the programme’s third release site. Survival assessments include mortality records, monitoring data and evidence of adaptation in the wild. Dr Shahnawaz Ahmad Bhat, Deputy Conservator of Forests, identified these as factors for assessing post-release outcomes.
Important Facts for Exams
- The Cheer Pheasant is locally known as “Chir Tittar” in Himachal Pradesh.
- The species is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, lists the Cheer Pheasant in Schedule I.
- The Khadiyun breeding centre is located at Chail in Solan district.
The breeding centre had 58 adult Cheer Pheasants in October 2026, with 35 females and 23 males. Moi Jubbar in Koti became the third release site in the state’s reintroduction programme.
