Factors affecting habitat selection by Mrs Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae (Hume, 1881) in Mizoram, northeast India

Abstract

Mrs Hume’s Pheasant Syrmaticus humiae (Hume, 1881) is a globally near-threatened pheasant spe-cies. It is sparsely distributed in eastern part of Mizoram, northeast India. The factors that influ-enced the habitat selection of S. humiae in the tropical montane forest are studied during January 2013 to March 2015. Based on preliminary survey a possible site of occurrence of the species was identified in the community reserved forest (CRF) adjacent to Lengteng Wildlife Sanctuary (LWS), near Myanmar border. Line transects were laid on two separate sites to determine the habitat use by the species. Physical variables were recorded on each transect sampling site. Only eight sight-ings are recorded at the Pine dominated area having good ground cover of tall grasses. The data analysis by principal component analysis (PCA) and stepwise logistic regressions analysis showed that litter cover and temperature plays a significant role (p<0.05) in the habitat selection by S. humiae. The possible reasons for this relationship are discussed and compared with other records.