Jujurana - The King of Birds
by Anita Chauhan and illustrated by Anup Ray
“Jujurana - The King of Birds” by Anita Chauhan and illustrated by Anup Ray. Published by NBT. A delightful book introducing the magnificent pheasant species of Jujurana or Western Tragopan found in the forests of the western Himalayas.
Twelve year old Vikram is very excited as his parents are taking him and his sister Kavita to the Himalayan Nature Park in Kufri. It is a thirty minute drive from their home in Shimla. Vikram wants to know more about the wildlife that they are going to see at the park. His father explains that most of the species of animals and birds that live in Himalayas are not found elsewhere in the forests of the plains. He talks about the landscape and vegetation of the Himalayan ecosystem.
Vikram and Kavita are excited to enter the park trail. They watch all the animals and then reach the pheasantry which is an enclosure housing the pheasants. Their father pointed out the various species of pheasants. Some of the pheasants they saw included Himalayan Monal, Kolkata Pheasant, Kaleej Pheasant, Red Junglefowl and Western Tragopan. They were awestruck by the sheer colours and beauty of these magnificent birds.
They loved the Western Tragopan in particular and wanted to know more about it. Their father told them that it was the state Bird of Himachal Pradesh. It was called Jujurana by the local people and meant King of birds. It was a vulnerable and rare species due to disturbances caused by humans in their natural habitat. Read the story to know more about these magnificent and elusive birds and what measures have been undertaken to help in their conservation.
I enjoyed reading this book with my eight year old. He had recently seen a couple of videos from the region around Shimla and was happy to read a story set there. We hope to Jujurana in its natural habitat some day! The sight of the Tragopan on the cover page had been enough for me to have ordered the book from Funky Rainbow bookstore. It was heartwarming to see that the lovely bird was being introduced to children through a lovely story. We loved some of the spreads in the book showcasing the wildlife and pheasants of Himalayan region.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 8 and above.
Reasons to Read
The book is a perfect means to introduce the Himalayan forests and pheasants found there.
For some armchair travel to Great Himalayan Nature Park near Shimla.
Where to buy from?
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
The publishers NBT here.
Both me and my husband consider ourselves fortunate to have seen some of the Himalayan pheasants such as Monal, Kalij Pheasant, Blood Pheasant and Satyr Tragopan during our trips to Uttarakhand and Bhutan. Some unforgettable sightings were of the Satyr Tragopan crossing the road majestically ahead of us and a hillock full of Blood Pheasants on a foggy morning. Here are the photos of these two sightings.
