Crestless fireback

Last updated
Crestless fireback
Lophura erythrophthalma1.jpg
Malayan crestless fireback
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Tribe: Phasianini
Genus: Lophura

The crestless firebacks (Lophura sp) are a group of two species of bird in the family Phasianidae. They are found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Their natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. They are threatened by habitat destruction.

Contents

Description

Male crestless firebacks are about 38 cm (15 in) in length and females slightly smaller. The face has bare red skin, the bill is greenish in males and black in females, there is no crest, the legs are bluish-grey, with long spurs in males and short spurs in females. The tail is short and either rounded, or the central feathers are shorter than the outer ones. The male has purplish-black plumage, with white vermiculation on the mantle and back, the wings and the side of the breast. The rump is bright chestnut and the upper tail coverts are purple with maroon margins. The tail feathers are cinnamon with black bases. The female crestless fireback is almost completely black with a blue or green gloss and was for some time considered to be a separate species. The head is brownish, paling to nearly white on the throat. Juveniles resemble females but have pale-edged feathers, and young males develop chestnut rumps quite soon. [1] The female is very similar in appearance to the male Salvadori's pheasant (Lophura inornata) which is endemic to Sumatra, but that species tends to inhabit forests at higher altitudes. [1]

Distribution and habitat

The Malayan crestless fireback is found in mainland Malaysia and Sumatra while pyronota occurs in Borneo. The male of the latter species is a greyer bird, with black and white vermiculations, and steel blue upper tail coverts. The crestless firebacks are shy birds and seldom seen; they inhabit undergrowth in lowland rainforests, and also secondary growth forest in Malaysia, up to altitudes of about 300 m (1,000 ft). [1]

Ecology

The crestless firebacks are retiring bird and has been little studied. They mostly occur in pairs or small groups. It lives on the ground among undergrowth and feeds during the day by scratching up the leaf litter and eating the small animals exposed, as well as feeding on vegetable matter and fallen fruit. They breed in captivity, and a nest recorded in the wild was between the buttress roots of a large tree and contained a clutch of four or five pink or pale buff eggs. The breeding season is from April to June and the gestation period lasts 24 days. [1]

Status

The birds are uncommon, with a moderate-sized range and a patchy distribution. Their natural habitat is lowland evergreen virgin forest, including peat forest and karst forest. These habitats are increasingly being cleared and the population of the bird is thought to be decreasing. However, they have also been observed in partially logged secondary forest in both Malaysia and Sumatra, and have been recorded there at densities of six birds per square kilometre. Besides this, some birds live in protected areas of forest. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates there may be a total of between ten and twenty thousand mature individuals. Clements and the IUCN has split into both species and the IOC has followed suit.

Species

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pheasant</span> Bird in family Phasianidae

Pheasants are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia. The classification "pheasant" is paraphyletic, as birds referred to as pheasants are included within both the subfamilies Phasianinae and Pavoninae, and in many cases are more closely related to smaller phasianids, grouse, and turkey than to other pheasants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwards's pheasant</span> Species of bird

Edwards's pheasant is a bird of the pheasant family Phasianidae and is endemic to the seasonal tropical forests of central Vietnam. It is named after the French ornithologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards and first described to science in 1896. The bird's length is 58–65 centimetres (23–26 in) and has red legs and facial skin. The male is mainly blue-black with a crest, and the female is a drab brown bird. The alarm call is a puk!-puk!-puk!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-rumped shama</span> Species of bird

The white-rumped shama is a small passerine bird of the family Muscicapidae. Native to densely vegetated habitats in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, its popularity as a cage-bird and songster has led to it being introduced elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The painted spurfowl is a bird of the pheasant family found in rocky hill and scrub forests mainly in peninsular India. Males are more brightly coloured and spotted boldly in white. Males have two to four spurs while females can have one or two of the spurs on their tarsus. The species is found mainly in rocky and scrub forest habitats unlike the red spurfowl. It is found in the undergrowth in pairs or small groups, escaping by running and rarely taking to the wing when flushed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvadori's pheasant</span> Species of bird

Salvadori's pheasant is a landfowl bird of genus Lophura, native to Indonesia. It is found in the mountain rainforests of Sumatra. Thus it is also known as the Sumatran pheasant. The Hoogerwerf's pheasant is usually thought to be a subspecies. This bird was first described in 1879 by the Italian ornithologist Tommaso Salvadori. The species name inornata means "without ornament".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palawan peacock-pheasant</span> Species of bird

The Palawan peacock-pheasant is a medium-sized bird in the family Phasianidae endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines. It is known as tandikan in the local Palawano, Tagbanwa, and Batak languages of Palawan. It is featured prominently in the culture of the indigenous people of Palawan. The bird is also depicted in the official seal of the city of Puerto Princesa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulwer's pheasant</span> Species of bird

Bulwer's pheasant, also known as Bulwer's wattled pheasant, the wattled pheasant or the white-tailed wattled pheasant, is a Southeast Asian bird in the family Phasianidae endemic to the forests of Borneo. It is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean peacock-pheasant</span> Species of bird

The Bornean peacock-pheasant is a medium-sized pheasant. It is probably the rarest and certainly the least known of all peacock-pheasants. This elusive bird is endemic to lowland forests of Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan peacock-pheasant</span> Species of bird

The Malayan peacock-pheasant also known as crested peacock-pheasant or Malaysian peacock-pheasant, is a medium-sized pheasant of the galliform family Phasianidae. The closely related Bornean peacock-pheasant was formerly included here as a subspecies, but as understood today, P. malacense is monotypic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siamese fireback</span> Species of bird

The Siamese fireback, also known as Diard's fireback, is a fairly large, approximately 80 cm (31 in) long, pheasant. The male has a grey plumage with an extensive facial caruncle, crimson legs and feet, ornamental black crest feathers, reddish brown iris and long curved blackish tail. The female is a brown bird with blackish wings and tail feathers.

Hoogerwerf's pheasant, also known as the Aceh pheasant or Sumatran pheasant is a medium-sized, up to 55 centimetres (22 in) long, bird of the family Phasianidae. The name commemorates the Dutch ornithologist and taxidermist Andries Hoogerwerf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean crested fireback</span> Species of bird

The Bornean crested fireback is a medium-sized forest pheasant from Borneo and the Bangka Belitung Islands. It is the type species of the genus Lophura. Prior to 2023, it was referred to as simply the crested fireback as the Malayan crested fireback was lumped with this species, though both have since been split.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sclater's monal</span> Species of bird

Sclater's monal also known as the crestless monal is a Himalayan pheasant. The name commemorates the British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-throated partridge</span> Species of bird

The rufous-throated partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in montane forests in India and Southeast Asia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-rumped treeswift</span> Species of bird

The grey-rumped treeswift is a species of bird in the Hemiprocnidae family. Currently, four extant species are placed in the family. Like the other members of the Hemiprocnidae, this species is closely related to true swifts, but unlike true swifts, the treeswifts are arboreal in nature, often seen perched on trees and high-tension power transmission lines, and on pylons. When perched, the wing tips cross over the tail. This species is commonly found in peninsular Malaysia, but has an extremely large range with limited information about the population trend,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-capped warbler</span> Species of bird

The grey-capped warbler is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is monotypic in the genus Eminia. The grey-capped warbler is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is a large, chunky, thin-tailed-warbler with a distinctive grey cap, a black band around its head, and a chestnut throat wrapping its neck. Grey-capped warblers maintain a diet of insects and other invertebrates, including caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, and mantids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiery minivet</span> Species of bird

The fiery minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. Its range includes Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Its natural habitats are broadleaf, secondary and coastal forests. It is threatened by forest clearance and has been assessed as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan crestless fireback</span> Species of bird

The Malayan crestless fireback or Malay crestless fireback is a member of the family Phasianidae. It was previously known as the crestless fireback when the two species were lumped together. The Malayan crestless fireback is found in the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan crested fireback</span> Species of bird

The Malayan crested fireback or Malay crested fireback is a species of forest pheasant found in lowland forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McGowan, Phil; Madge, Steve (2010). Pheasants, Partridges & Grouse: Including buttonquails, sandgrouse and allies. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 308. ISBN   978-1-4081-3566-2.