Monal: Himalayan Bird’s Call Shifts Amid Rising Noise and Climate Pressure

A sharp increase in human activity is changing how the monal, a symbol of Himalayan biodiversity, sounds, in studies from Uttarakhand.

The monal, native to the high‑elevation forests of India and Nepal, carries cultural importance as the state bird of Uttarakhand and the national bird of Nepal.

Research over five years shows that expanding infrastructure and tourism are squeezing its alpine habitat while rising ambient noise forces the bird to adjust its vocalisations.

Dr Rajeev Lochan and colleagues noted that the birds are moving higher in the mountains as lower meadows become crowded, while behavioural observations in the busy Chopta valley versus the quieter Madmaheshwar valley revealed higher‑frequency, shorter calls in noisy settings.

“If the monal is being asked to change both where it lives and how it sounds, one has to wonder how other, less adaptable species are coping,” said environmental practitioner Vishal Singh.

Climate models project that continued warming will further erode suitable high‑elevation habitats, potentially leaving monals confined to fragmented pockets with compromised breeding prospects.

Andrew Kumar, Shreenay Sharma and others caution that the vocal shifts are behavioural, not evolutionary, but represent a “pathogenic adjustment” to human influence.

Beyond the monal, the findings warn of broader ecological stress in the Himalayas, where unregulated tourism and climate change collide.

As Anjal Prakash put it: “In listening to the monal, we hear the Himalayas asking for space, silence and care.”

For more on how climate change is affecting Himalayan ecosystems, see The Himalayas are melting faster – and India’s economy is ‘at risk’.