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Scientific name
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Ithaginis cruentus (Hardwicke, 1821)
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Common name
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Blood pheasant
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Sikkimese
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Chillimey or semu
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Distribution
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Mountains of Nepal and Sikkim
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Religious association
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The blood pheasant is sacred to the Lepchas who are the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim. For the Lepcha hunter-gatherers of Sikkim, the blood pheasant is part of a sacred myth wherein the bird saved the Lepcha ancestors by guiding them to the safe environs of Mount Tendong during a terrible flood. The blood pheasant is the state bird of Sikkim.
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Source: “Sacred Animals Of India” by Nanditha Krishna, Published by Penguin Book India, 2010
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