Tibetan Snowcock

Tetraogallus tibetanus Gould, 1854

≈54 cmLength1.5 kgWeight

This snowcock mostly frequents alpine areas of bare rock, scrub and meadows.

Busiest months: May–June · Most records: China

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Tibetan Snowcock has been recorded at 43 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Balang Shan [General Area]China131 records
Balang Shan PassChina114 records
Shugseb NunneryChina38 records

More places

Balang Shan – SummitChina30 records
Balang Shan – Tunnel AreaChina21 records
GangshikaChina20 records
Lamaling Mountain PassChina15 records
E'La Mountain PassChina14 records
Balang Shan – Main Tunnel NorthChina12 records
Wolong Giant Panda Museum and ReserveChina10 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Tibetan snowcock (Tetraogallus tibetanus) is a bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. This species is found in high-altitude regions of the Western Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, where it overlaps in part with the larger Himalayan snowcock.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Tibetan Snowcock?

The Tibetan Snowcock is about ≈54 cm long and weighs around 1.5 kg.

Where does the Tibetan Snowcock live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: Himalayas. It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Tibetan Snowcock?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May and June (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Tibetan Snowcock endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Tibetan Snowcock as Least Concern.

What does the Tibetan Snowcock eat?

Main food: Land plants.

What family is the Tibetan Snowcock in?

It belongs to the family Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae), order Galliformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈54 cm
Weight: 1.5 kg
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Land plants
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 263 mm
Tail: 146 mm
Bill: 33 mm
Tarsus: 56 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: Himalayas

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 6

Tetraogallus tibetanus tschimenensis Kun Lun and Altun Shan Mts. (n Tibet, nw China)
Tetraogallus tibetanus tibetanus e Afghanistan to w Tibetan Plateau and n India
Tetraogallus tibetanus aquilonifer n Nepal to n Bhutan, ne India and sw China
Tetraogallus tibetanus yunnanensis n Yunnan (sc China)
Tetraogallus tibetanus henrici e Xizang and w Sichuan (c China)
Tetraogallus tibetanus przewalskii Qinghai, n Sichuan and w Gansu (nc China)