Golden Pheasant or Chinese Pheasant

Chinese Pheasant which is commonly identified as the Golden Pheasant is one of the most popular breed which is particularly popular as a game bird. Chrysolophus pictus is the binomial name of the Golden Pheasant.

Chrysolophus pictus is the binomial name of the Golden Pheasant.Image: Mark Barkaway

Largely, the Golden Pheasants are regarded as as domestic birds which are found in zoos and aviaries. However, Golden Pheasants choose to reside in the dense conifer forests. The remainder of the habitat ought to contain some wetlands, grassland, and woodland or brushy thickets.

Chinese Pheasant or Golden Pheasant

The adult male Golden Pheasant is 35.5 to 41.33 inches in length, its tail accounting for two-thirds of its length. They also have a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan. The upper back is green and the rest of the back and rump are golden-yellow in color. The female Golden Pheasant has lesser glaring look with a duller mottled brown plumage similar to that of the female Common Pheasant. She is darker and far more slender than the hen of that species, with a proportionately longer tail (half her 60–80 cm length).

Golden Pheasant Female in captivity

The diet of Chinese Pheasant or Golden Pheasant consists of grains, leaves and roost in trees at night. Even though they can fly, they choose to run: but if startled they can abruptly burst upwards at fantastic speed, with a distinctive wing sound.

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Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines

Palawan Island is a massive island of Philippines which is well-known for being the greatest island location in the South East Asia.  This island is popular for its tremendous beauty and outstanding landscape. Palawan Island has also got a biosphere reserve status and the biodiversity of this island is phenomenal.

Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines. Image: mjvc (flickr)

One particular of the magnificent bird species of the Palawan island is the Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines which is scientifically recognized as Polyplectron napoleonis. Palawan Peacock Pheasant is considered as the most graceful of the peacock species. The male Palawan Peacock Pheasant has a extended metallic blue crest with white lines above and beneath the eye. The rest of the head, below components, and flight feathers are black. Their plumage is of metallic green and black colour. The female is smaller than the male. It has a dark brown plumage with a short crest and is whitish on the throat, cheeks and eyebrows.

Palawan Pheasant Peacock Female . Image : Smugmug

The diet of the Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines in the wild consists of a assortment of seeds, grains, nuts, fruit, leaves, roots, slugs, worms, and insects. Palawan Peacock Pheasant build their nests in a tree or on the ground. There are two off-white eggs per clutch that are incubated by the hen for about 18-20 days. The male pheasants do not incubate, but they aid with the feeding and rearing of the chicks. The present population is estimated at significantly less than 10,000 and is believed to be decreasing. The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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Lady amethyst pheasant

Lady amethyst pheasant is native to Myanmar and the southern China. Chrysolophus amherstiae is the biological name of the Lady amethyst pheasant which belongs to the Phasianidae family members. Lady amethyst pheasant has significantly similarity with its cousin, the Golden Pheasant and the adult male is 100-120 cm in length, its tail accounting for 80 cm of the total length.

Lady Amethyst Pheasant ( A Loren Sztajer Image )

 The plumage of Lady amethyst pheasant is of white and yellow colour while it has silver blackish head. The tail which is a longer body component of Lady amethyst pheasant is of grey colour. The female is a lot less showy, with a duller mottled brown plumage all more than along with darker head and cleaner below components.

Lady Amethyst Pheasant ( Female )

Lady amethyst pheasant is mainly deemed a domesticated pheasant though it can flourish rapidly in the thick and dense forests. Lady amethyst pheasant is a ground bird but it can also fly very briskly. The diet regime of the Lady amethyst pheasant includes grains, leaves, seeds and tiny insects.

Lady Amethyst Pheasant with exotic tale ( Jciardha Image )

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Crested Fireback Pheasant

From the pheasant household Crested Fireback which is scientifically recognized as “Lophura ignita“ is famous for its exclusive peacock like crest. This pheasant is a medium-sized bird which has an average length up to 70 cm. Crested Fireback is discovered in the forests of South East Asia. Crested Fireback is deemed as a threatened species which is enlisted on the IUCN Red List.

Crested fireback pheasant. Image : Kamsani

With a dark colored crest, Crested Fireback pheasant has a bluish black plumage, reddish brown rump, black outer tail feathers, red iris and bare blue facial skin. The female Crested Fireback is a like other female pheasant has brownish body with a small crest. The other attributes contain blue facial skin and spotted black-and-white beneath.

Crested Fireback Female, Danum Valley, Borneo ( By Terathopius on flickr )

The humid and dark forests of Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra are the best homelands of Crested Fireback. There are four subspecies of the Crested Fireback. Cested Fireback Pheasant loves to eat the leaves of plants, grains, fruits and rats. The female Crested Fireback usually lays amongst 4 to eight eggs which are of creamy white colour. Deforestation and logging is a permanent danger to the organic habitat of Crested Fireback. They are also being hunted rapidly and their population is decreasing at an alarming rate.

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Mikadu Pheasant of Taiwan

The Mikado Pheasant, Syrmaticus Mikado is a close to threatened species in the pheasant family, which is endemic to the mountain regions of Taiwan. Mikado Pheasant of Taiwan is found at an elevation of 3000m above sea level in the thick bamboo forests and shrub lands. Mikado Pheasant is nicely identified for its magnificent and brilliant feathers which are also utilized as head-dress decoration in the religious ceremonies of Taiwan.

Mikado Pheasant ( Image : Schumi Wu )

Like other pheasants, the male Mikafo Pheasant has a larger body than its female particularly the tail is considerably longer. Mikado Pheasant is a shy but really agile bird that loves to create themselves in the moistures circumstances. They construct their nests on the ground mostly in the hidden places like holes and below the rocks. Their mating season is in between April to June and the female Mikado Pheasant usually lays three to eight creamy-colored eggs at 1 time. She is solely responsible for the incubations of the eggs as the Mikado Pheasant is deemed a solitary bird. The chicks remain dependant on their mother till six months.

Female Mikado Pheasant ( Image by 賞景者. Courtesy : flickr )

According to a cautious estimate there are practically 10,000 men and women living in the wild, The Mikado Pheasant of Taiwan is evaluated as Close to Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are mainly endangered due to enormous hunting.

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Green Pheasant: The National bird of Japan

The Green Pheasant which is also known as the Japanese Pheasant is a native pheasant of Japan which is scientifically identified as Phasianus versicolor. This is also the national bird of Japan and its population extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean. Primarily, the Green Pheasants favor to inhabit in the grassy and bushy areas and light forest areas near cultivated lands and meadows of the Japanese Archipelago.

Green or Japanese Pheasants. Image © Daniel Ruyle

The species of the Green Pheasant is also introduced in North America and Hawaii where it is domesticated as a game bird. According to the biologists the Green Pheasant or the Japanese Pheasant is a sub species of the Widespread Pheasant. The female of the Green Pheasant is smaller sized in size than her mate which lays ten-12 eggs which are olive brown in colour. The Green Pheasant make their nests in type of a heap of leaves and grass on the ground, with a quite slight depression.

The diet regime of Green Pheasant, the national bird of Japan includes beans, peas, acorns, berries, and occasionally it has even been observed to consume the ivy leaf, as well as the berry. The young chicks of the Green Pheasant are fed with ant eggs, maggots, grits, and similar meals.

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The Blood Pheasant of Himalayas

In the fantastic Himalayan range of India, Nepal and Bhutan a tiny and quick tailed pheasant is extremely widespread which is recognized as Blood Pheasant. The Blood Pheasant is the state bird of the Indian state of Sikkim. The organic habitat, where the Blood pheasants reside, are the Northern mountain ranges of Nepal , Sikkim ( India ) , Myanmar , Tibet ,Bhutan and the south-central China.

The Blood Pheasant is scientifically known as Ithaginis. Image : Dhritiman Mukherjee

The Blood pheasant of Himalayas is purely a snow-bird which occupies the coniferous scrub lands and they move in a convoys with the season variations. Generally, the Blood Pheasants are located at higher elevations in the course of the summer time. With snow rising in fall and winter they move to lower elevations.The face and throat of the Blood pheasant are corrosive whilst the back of the neck is usually gray. The rest of the physique is streak gray, white and buff. Both males and females have red feet and a distinct ring of bare skin about the eye but Females are more uniformly colored, becoming all round dull brown and typically with some gray to the nape.

The Blood Pheasant of Himalayas  is scientifically identified as Ithaginis cruentus and the average size for male is of 42 cm and for female is of 38 cm. The Blood pheasants are despite the fact that excellent runners but they are not specialist fliers. In the month of Could, the female lays generally 6-7 extended oval eggs which are pinkish or yellowish white in color. The chicks of the Blood Pheasants are observed in the month of June and live in a covey till winter.

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Silver Pheasant: Lophura nycthemera

Silver Pheasant is named as Lophura nycthemera binomially. Silver Pheasant lives in the mountain forest regions of South-west China, Eastern Burma, South Vietnam, North Laous ans the Southern components of Cambodia and Thailand. Silver Pheasant is additional divided into 15 sub species and mostly the Silver Pheasant is placed in the genus Phasianus. The male Silver Pheasant has a graceful appearance getting its upper part in white colour and the tail portion in the streaky black color. The below parts of the male Silver Pheasant are dark bluish although the neck is white from the above side and blue back from under side. The female Silver Pheasant has a brown plumage from the upper side and the under parts are getting brown and creamy white feathers. The crest of the female silver pheasant is smaller than the male. Each have pinkish red legs and feet and powerful bill. The vocalization of the male Silver Pheasant consists of Cak Cak Cak and it also grunts.

Male Sivler Pheasant ( Image by Tony Yang on flickr )

Usually the habitat of the Silver Pheasant is discovered at an elevation of more than 1000 m in the grasslands. The diet of the Silver Pheasant includes the seeds and fruits. The male attracts the female by the wings whirring and performs quick wing beats. The female also responds to the male in the identical manner.

Female silver pheasant. ( Image by Thet Zaw Naing on flickr )

Silver Pheasant, Lophura nycthemera  is a terrestrial bird which is hardly observed for flying. But when they really feel danger from any predator, they can fly to seek protection.

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Cheer Pheasant of Himalayas

Cheer Pheasant of Himalayas is a rare bird in the household of Phasianidae which is though doesn’t have magnificent colors like other pheasants, however it has a special gray plumage and gray crest. Cheer Pheasant is scientifically identified as Catreus wallichi which is an endemic species of the Western Himalayas. Their population is broadly distributed from north Pakistan, via Kashmir into Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, India, and east to central Nepal. The Cheer Pheasant is currently evaluated as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

Catreus wallichi, Cheer Pheasant ( Image : Lophura on flickr )

The Cheer Pheasant lives in the dense grasslands and rocky terrain having shrubs. Some of their population is observed in the confier, juniper and broadleaf trees. The female Cheer Pheasant lays 8-12 eggs in the breeding season. The female is slightly smaller sized in all round size.  The beautiful lengthy tail of Cheer Pheasant has 18 brown feathers with the central tail feathers which are comparatively longer.

Cheer Pheasant is a uncommon bird in the family of Phasianidae

Habitat loss which has occurred due to the overgrazing and fire is the significant threat to the population of Cheer Pheasant of Himalayas. Cheer Pheasant is also ruthlessly hunted for meals and eggs. The grasslands are quickly becoming converted into arable terraces. The permanent ban on the hunting of Cheer Pheasant and the suitable conservation of their natural habitat is quite a lot important for safeguarding the Cheer Pheasant from ultimate extinction.

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The Imperial Pheasant of Vietnam

The Imperial Pheasant of Vietnam is perhaps the rarest species in pheasants which is an endemic bird of Laos and Vietnam. The Imperial Pheasant is a medium-sized dark blue pheasant which may be up to 75 cm lengthy. The other prominent functions of the Imperial pheasant include its bare red facial skin, blue crest, crimson legs and glossy plumage. Female is brown with erectile brief feather crest, blackish tail and primaries.

The Imperial Pheasant of Loas and Vietnam

The Imperial Pheasants are at times confused with another rare pheasant species which is discovered in the central forests of Vietnam and it is iknown as Vietnamese pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis). The Vietnamese pheasant was discovered in 1964 and  it is a species of gall pheasant. But the Imperial pheasants are bigger than the Vietnamese pheasants and have longer tail, all dark blue crest and tail feathers. The Imperial Pheasant is in reality not considered as a correct species because this is a hybrid species created as a outcome of the cross breed between the the Vietnamese Pheasant and the subspecies anamnesis of the Silver Pheasant.

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