Swinhoe's pheasant | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Galliformes |
Family: | Phasianidae |
Genus: | Lophura |
Species: | L. swinhoii |
Binomial name | |
Lophura swinhoii (Gould, 1863) | |
Synonyms | |
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Swinhoe's pheasant (Lophura swinhoii), also known as the Taiwan blue pheasant, is a bird of the pheasant subfamily in the fowl family Phasianidae. It is endemic to Taiwan. Along with the Mikado pheasant and Taiwan blue magpie, two other Taiwan endemics, Swinhoe's pheasant is sometimes considered an unofficial national symbol for Taiwan, as it bears the colours of the national flag (red, white, and blue).
The bird was named after British naturalist Robert Swinhoe, who first described the species in 1862. Locally, the species is known in Mandarin as lánfùxián (Chinese :藍腹鷴; lit. 'blue-breasted kalij'), and in Taiwanese Hokkien as wa-koe (華雞; hôa-koe; 'flowered fowl'; also 畫雞). [3]
The male Swinhoe's pheasant can grow up to 79 cm. He has a glossy blue-purple chest, belly, and rump, white nape, red wattles, white tail feathers, and a white crest. The female is brown marked with yellow, arrow-shaped spots and complex barring patterns, and has maroon outer rectrices. The juvenile male is dark blue with brown and yellow patterns on its wings. Swinhoe's pheasants can also be distinguished from the Mikado pheasant by having red legs.
During display, the male's wattles become engorged and he performs a display consisting of a hop followed by running in a circle around females. A frontal display with the tail fanned is occasionally observed. He also does a wing-whirring display like other Lophura pheasants.
Swinhoe's pheasant is found in the mountains of central Taiwan, where it lives in primary broadleaf forest up to 2,300 m in elevation. [1]
Swinhoe's pheasant eats seeds, fruits, and some insects and other animal matter. Predators include the crested goshawk, white-bellied sea eagle, Gurney's eagle, spot-bellied eagle-owl, and the civet and badger.
The female lays a clutch of two to six eggs, which are incubated for 25 to 28 days. The young can leave the nest at 2-3 days old. Swinhoe's pheasant is often assumed to be polygynous, as males are often seen with several females, though confirmation is lacking.
This pheasant has a small population in a limited range that is shrinking due to habitat degradation. Logging is a problem. It was hunted in the past, and some populations were extirpated in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, its global population is estimated to be over 10,000 individuals. [1] Some populations are secure within protected areas, but others may be declining. Alongside the Mikado pheasant and Taiwan magpie, they are sometimes unofficially considered national symbols of Taiwan, which has helped in their conservation and protection. In some areas, such as Dasyueshan National Forest Recreation Area, they are regularly sighted feeding along roadsides, which have become bird-watching hotspots. Often they are fed by bird photographers, which has considered a controversial practice by some conservationists and liable to a fine by park officials.
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.
The Taiwan blue magpie, also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie, or the "long-tailed mountain lady", is a bird species in the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan.
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The Mikado pheasant is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. Sometimes considered an unofficial national bird of Taiwan, a pair of Mikado pheasants and Yushan National Park, one of the areas it is known to inhabit, is depicted in the 1000 dollar bill of the New Taiwan dollar.
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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.
Elliot's pheasant, is a large pheasant native to south-eastern China.
The imperial pheasant is a gallopheasant from Southeast Asia. Long thought to be an enigmatic and elusive species, it is actually a cross of Edwards's pheasant and the silver pheasant, a hybrid.
The Taiwan partridge or Taiwan hill partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Taiwan, and its natural habitat is broadleaf forests. It is threatened by habitat loss, but at present is categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being of least concern.
The crestless fireback is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being critically endangered.