Blood pheasant

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Blood pheasant
Blood Pheasant Phrumsingla National Park Bhutan.jpg
A flock in Phrumsengla National Park, Bhutan
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Subfamily: Phasianinae
Genus: Ithaginis
Wagler, 1832
Species:
I. cruentus
Binomial name
Ithaginis cruentus
(Hardwicke, 1821)
Synonyms

Ithaginis cruentatus

The blood pheasant or blood partridge (Ithaginis cruentus) is the only species in genus Ithaginis of the pheasant family. It is a relatively small, short-tailed pheasant that is widespread and is fairly common in eastern Himalayas, ranging across India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and northern Myanmar. Since the trend of the population appears to be slowly decreasing, the species has been evaluated as of least concern on the IUCN Red List in 2009. [1]

Contents

The blood pheasant is the state bird of Sikkim. [2]

Description

Female in Sikkim, India. Blood Pheasant female from Lachung North Sikkim India 14032019.jpg
Female in Sikkim, India.

The blood pheasant has the size of a small fowl, about 17 in (43 cm) in length with a short, convex, very strong black bill, feathered between bill and eye, and a small crest of variously coloured feathers. The colour of the plumage above is dark ash, with white shafts, the coverts of the wings various tinged with green, with broad strokes of white through the length of each feather, the feathers of the chin deep crimson; on the breast, belly, and sides, feathers are lance-shaped, of various length, the tips green with crimson margins, collectively resembling dashes of blood scattered on the breast and belly. The tail consists of 12 subequal feathers, shafts white, rounded, the ends whitish, the coverts a rich crimson red. [3]

Both males and females have red feet and a distinct ring of bare skin around the eye that typically is crimson colored, but is orange in a few subspecies. Females are more uniformly colored, being overall dull brown and often with some gray to the nape. Although some of the subspecies that have been described are highly distinctive, others are not, and some variation appears to be clinal. Consequently, the number of valid subspecies is disputed, with various authorities recognizing between 11 and 15. They mainly vary in the plumage of the males, especially the amount of red or black to the throat, forehead, neck, chest and tail, and the presence or absence of rufous in the wings. [4]

Taxonomy

Twelve subspecies have been described: [5]

Distribution and habitat

Blood pheasants live in the mountains of Nepal, Sikkim, northern Myanmar, Tibet, and central and south-central China, where they prefer coniferous or mixed forests and scrub areas near the snowline. They move their range depending on the seasons, and are found at higher elevations during the summer. With snow increasing in fall and winter, they move to lower elevations. [4]

Ecology

Unlike the common pheasant, the blood pheasant is monogamous. [6] Breeding season begins at the end of April when males begin their courtship by displaying in front of females by flying at each other breast-to-breast, biting wattles, or performing high leaps with kicks toward the other’s bill. [7] Mate choice by females depends on factors like tail length, length of the ear tufts, and the presence of black points in the wattle, but neither wattle size or color nor the brightness of the plumage affect the females' choice. [8]

The blood pheasant reaches sexual maturity in one year. [7] In early May, mature females begin nesting under paddy straw heaps surrounded by trees, in brush, small caves, or in tree holes near the ground. [9] They excavate shallow pot-like nests and line them with moss, pine needles, and feathers. The female lays 4-14 yellowish-white eggs with brown speckles, at intervals of two or three days. During the 27-33 days of egg incubation, the male is responsible for defending the territory against other male pheasants. [9]

The blood pheasant's distribution in inhospitable high‐elevation environments has required adaptation to hypoxia and high levels of ultraviolet radiation. [6]

Blood pheasants move with the snow line when foraging, feeding on moss, ferns, pine shoots, and lichens.[ citation needed ]

Conservation

The species is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. [1] However, more than half the population is considered to be threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal hunting and human disturbance. [10] Much of the distribution range of pheasants in Southwest China overlaps with the habitat of the giant panda, and livestock grazing has become the most prevalent human disturbance across associated protection areas. [11] The blood pheasant's ground-nesting habits and relatively long incubation period make it especially vulnerable to trampling and habitat degradation by grazers. [10] [12]

Images

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">Common pheasant</span> Species of bird

The common pheasant is a bird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae). The genus name comes from Latin phasianus, "pheasant". The species name colchicus is Latin for "of Colchis", a country on the Black Sea where pheasants became known to Europeans. Although Phasianus was previously thought to be closely related to the genus Gallus, the genus of junglefowl and domesticated chickens, recent studies show that they are in different subfamilies, having diverged over 20 million years ago.

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

The green pheasant, also known as the Japanese green pheasant, is an omnivorous bird native to the Japanese archipelago, to which it is endemic. Some taxonomic authorities consider it a subspecies of the common pheasant, Phasianus colchicus. It is the national bird of Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowcock</span> Genus of birds

The snowcocks or snowfowl are a group of bird species in the genus Tetraogallus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and western China. Some of the species have been introduced into the United States. Snowcocks feed mainly on plant material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan quail</span> Species of bird

The Himalayan quail or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India. The last verifiable record was in 1876 near the hill station of Mussoorie.

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

The Tibetan partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. They are found widely across the Tibetan Plateau and have some variations in plumage across populations. They forage on the ground in the sparsely vegetated high altitude regions, moving in pairs during the summer and in larger groups during the non-breeding season. Neither males nor females have spurs on their legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satyr tragopan</span> Species of bird

The satyr tragopan also known as the crimson horned pheasant, is a pheasant found in the Himalayan reaches of India, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. They reside in moist oak and rhododendron forests with dense undergrowth and bamboo clumps. They range from 2400 to 4200 meters in summer and 1800 meters in winter. The male is about 70 cm long.

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

The snow partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae found widely distributed across the high-altitude Himalayan regions of Pakistan, China, India and Nepal. It is the only species within its genus, and is thought to be the most basal member of the "erectile clade" of the subfamily Phasianinae. The species is found in alpine pastures and open hillside above the treeline but not in as bare rocky terrain as the Himalayan snowcock and is not as wary as that species. Males and females look similar in plumage but males have a spur on their tarsus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-legged buttonquail</span> Species of bird

The yellow-legged buttonquail is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails. This family is peculiar in that the females are larger and more colourful than the males and are polyandrous.

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

The kalij pheasant, or simply kalij, is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from Nepal, Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have at least partially glossy bluish-black plumage, while females are overall brownish. Both sexes have a bare red face and greyish legs. It is generally common and widespread, though three of its eastern subspecies are considered threatened and L. l. moffitti is virtually unknown in the wild. On 21 October 2021, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir declared Kalij Pheasant as bird of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibetan snowcock</span> Species of bird

The Tibetan snowcock is a bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. This species is found in high-altitude regions of the Western Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, where it overlaps in part with the larger Himalayan snowcock. The head is greyish and there is a white crescent patch behind the eye and underside is white with black stripes. In flight the secondaries show a broad white trailing edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan snowcock</span> Species of bird

The Himalayan snowcock is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia. It is found on alpine pastures and on steep rocky cliffs where they will dive down the hill slopes to escape. It overlaps with the slightly smaller Tibetan snowcock in parts of its wide range. The populations from different areas show variations in the colouration and about five subspecies have been designated. They were introduced in the mountains of Nevada in the United States in the 1960s and a wild population has established in the Ruby Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark-breasted rosefinch</span> Species of bird

The dark-breasted rosefinch is a species of true finch in the monotypic genus Procarduelis. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.

<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">Hill partridge</span> Species of bird

The common hill partridge, necklaced hill partridge, or simply hill partridge is a species of bird in the pheasant family found in Asia.

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

The Tibetan eared pheasant, also called Elwes' eared pheasant, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae found in southeast Tibet and adjacent northern India, usually between 3,000 and 5,000 m elevation, but has been seen down to 2,280 m (7,500 ft) in winter. The species is named after Henry John Harman.

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

The crimson-headed partridge is a species of bird in the pheasant, partridge, and francolin family Phasianidae. Described by the British ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1879, it is the only species in the genus Haematortyx. It is endemic to Borneo, where it inhabits lower montane forest in the northern and central parts of the island. It is mainly found at elevations of 1,000–1,700 m (3,300–5,600 ft), but can be seen as low as 185 m (607 ft) and as high as 3,050 m (10,010 ft). Adult males have a striking appearance, with a dark blackish body and crimson red heads, necks, breasts, and undertail coverts. Females have a similar pattern, but with duller brownish-black colouration, orangish-red heads and breasts, and a brownish-black bill instead of a yellowish one. Juveniles are duller and have the crimson restricted to the top of the head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan rubythroat</span> Species of bird

The Himalayan rubythroat is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is closely related to the Siberian rubythroat which however lacks the distinctive white tail-tips and white tail bases. It was also previously considered conspecific with the Chinese rubythroat, together called the white-tailed rubythroat. It is found along the Himalayan ranges from Afghanistan to Myanmar. Three subspecies are recognized across its wide range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests</span>

The Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion which is found in the middle and upper elevations of the eastern Middle Himalayas, in western Nepal, Bhutan, northern Indian states including Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and adjacent Myanmar and China.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2016). "Ithaginis cruentus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22679144A92804363. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679144A92804363.en . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  2. Kazmierczak, K.; Singh, R. (1998). A Birdwatchers' Guide to India. London, UK: Prion. p. 137. ISBN   978-1-871104-08-0.
  3. Hardwicke, T. (1821). "Descriptions of a Wild Dog of Sumatra, a new Species of Viverra, and a new Species of Pheasant". The Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. Linnean Society of London. XIII: 235–238.
  4. 1 2 Johnsgard, P. A. (1999) The Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Press
  5. del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
  6. 1 2 Zhou, C.; Liu, Y.; Qiao, L.; Liu, Y.; Yang, N.; Meng, Y. & Yue, B. (2020). "The draft genome of the blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus): Phylogeny and high-altitude adaptation". Ecology and Evolution. 10 (20): 11440–11452. doi: 10.1002/ece3.6782 . PMC   7593199 . PMID   33144976.
  7. 1 2 Switzer, C. "Phasianus colchicus (common pheasant)". Animal Diversity Web.
  8. Mateos, C. & Carranza, J. (1995). "Female choice for morphological features of male ring-necked pheasants". Animal Behaviour. 49 (3): 737–748. doi:10.1016/0003-3472(95)80206-1. S2CID   53159955.
  9. 1 2 "Blood Pheasants | Beauty of Birds". www.beautyofbirds.com. 16 September 2021.
  10. 1 2 Fan, F.; Bu, H.; McShea, W.J.; Shen, X.; Li, B.V. & Li, S. (2020). "Seasonal habitat use and activity patterns of blood pheasant Ithaginis cruentusbe in the presence of free-ranging livestock". Global Ecology and Conservation. 23: e01155. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01155 .
  11. Wei, W.; Swaisgood, R. R.; Dai, Q.; Yang, Z.; Yuan, S.; Owen, M. A.; Pilfold, N. W.; Yang, X.; Gu, X.; Zhou, H.; Han, H.; Zhang, J.; Hong, M.; Zhang, Z. (2018). "Giant panda distributional and habitat-use shifts in a changing landscape". Conservation Letters. 11 (6): e12575. doi: 10.1111/conl.12575 .
  12. Jia, C.-X.; Sun, Y.-H.; Swenson, J. E. (2010). "Unusual Incubation Behavior and Embryonic Tolerance of Hypothermia by the Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus)". The Auk. 127 (4): 926–931. doi: 10.1525/auk.2010.09254 . S2CID   85721087.