Pheasants of the World

Silver Pheasant

(Lophura nycthemera nycthemera)

The True Silver Pheasant originates mainly from South East China. This is the nominate race and has 14 subspecies. It is also very closely related to the Kalij Pheasant. The True Silver Pheasant is worthy of being promoted as a great bird for a beginner but is certainly not dull for a more experienced breeder.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	100 - 200 sq. ft. (9.3 - 18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Numerous for nominate race
Full adult plumage	Second year
Egg clutch size	4 - 6 eggs
Incubation Period	25 - 26 days
Feeding Habits	Standard pheasant feed

Blue Eared-Pheasant

(Crossoptilon atrium)

                                               
The Blue Eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon atrium is a large, up to 96 cm long, dark blue-grey pheasant with velvet black crown, red bare facial skin, yellow iris, long white ear coverts behind the eyes and crimson legs. Its tail of twenty-four elongated bluish grey feathers is curved, loose and dark-tipped. Both sexes are similar with slightly larger male. The Blue Eared Pheasant is found throughout mountain forests of central China. The diet consists mainly of berries and vegetable matters.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	200 sq. ft. (18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Good
Full adult plumage	First year, but rarely fertile
Egg clutch size	5 - 8 eggs
Incubation Period	26 - 28 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet, but great diggers

Brown Eared Pheasant

(Crossoptilon mantchuricum)

Brown Eared Pheasants is endemic to China. It lives mostly in sub alpine forests above 1200m. Like the other eared pheasants, they have very powerful beaks which they use to dig up roots. They usuelly eat leaves, shoots, seeds, insects and worms in wild. These birds are very hardy and enjoy snow, rain, wind and sun. They usually catch the attention of anyone coming close to them. In captivity, brown eared become very friendly and will follow and accumulative immediately.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	200 sq. ft. (18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Reasonable, but vulnerable due to small gene pool
Full adult plumage	First year, but only rarely fertile
Egg clutch size	5 - 8 eggs
Incubation Period	26 - 27 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet, but diggers

ELLIOT'S PHEASANT

Syrmaticus ellioti

The Elliot's Pheasant, Syrmaticus ellioti also known as Bar-backed Pheasant is a large, up to 80 cm long, brown and white pheasant with a black throat, chestnut brown upperparts plumage, white belly, nape and wingbars, red bare facial skin and long rusty-barred whitish tail. The female is a rufous brown bird with blackish throat, whitish belly and white-tipped tail. The Elliot's Pheasant is endemic to China, where it lives in evergreen and mountain forests of southeastern China, at altitudes up to 6,200 feet. The diet consists mainly of seeds, leaves and berries. Daniel Giaud Elliot is an American ornithologist who discovered this bird in wild. In captivity, they need special attention at early stages and during their breeding.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	200 sq. ft. (18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Numerous
Full adult plumage	First year
Egg clutch size	6 - 8 eggs
Incubation Period	25 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet

Golden Pheasant

(Chrysolophus pictus)

The Golden Pheasant is one of the most popular of all pheasant species kept in captivity. It is very beautiful, hardy, easy to keep and great for beginners. The Golden has been kept in captivity since as early as 1740 and perhaps was the first type of pheasant brought to North America. There is evidence that George Washington may have kept them at Mt. Vernon. For being so well known and familiar in  captivity, very little is known of their habits in their habitat of central China.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	100 sq. ft. (9.3 m2)
Status in captivity	Very numerous
Full adult plumage	Second year
Egg clutch size	6 - 12 eggs
Incubation Period	22 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet

Lady Amherst's Pheasant

( Chrysolophus amherstiae)

Lady Amherst's Pheasant native to south western China and Myanmar , but have been introduced elsewhere, and have established a self-supporting, but now declining, feral population in England, the stronghold of which is now only in Bedfordshire.
The adult male is 100-120 cm in length, its tail accounting for 80 cm of the total length. It has red, blue, white and yellow body plumage. The "cape" can be raised in display. In captivity, it lays up to 25 eggs and sometime may get crossed with golden pheasant. So these should be kept separate.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	100 sq. ft. (9.3 m2)
Status in captivity	Numerous, but not all pure
Full adult plumage	Second year
Egg clutch size	6 - 12 eggs
Incubation Period	22 days
Feeding Habits	Standard pheasant diet

White Eared Pheasant

(Crossoptilon crossoptilon)

Wild White eared pheasants live in the Himalayan Mountains and are extremely hardy. There have been a lot of problems with fertility in White eared pheasants which may be overcomed by reducing chances of inbreeding. It is very important for the survival of any species that birds are not inbred. In wild they have many problems such as predation, shooting and habitat loss. We believe that aviculturists have a crucial role to play in conserving the white eared pheasant and many other bird species.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	200 sq. ft. (18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Reasonable, but vulnerable due to small gene pool
Full adult plumage	First year, but not fertile until second
Egg clutch size	4 - 7 eggs
Incubation Period	24 - 25 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet, but are diggers

Satyr Tragopan Pheasant

(Tragopan satyr)

The Satyr Tragopan live in heavily wooded areas of the Himalayas, it is therefore best if they can have some good shaded areas in the aviary. The Tragopan are highly unusual birds with inflatable lappets and horns.
Satyrs are not flighty birds in fact they become very tame and will wait patiently by the gate every morning for you to come and feed them. They will delicately pick the food from your hand and then proceed to gulp down enormous chunks of fruit. They are very easy to look after and perfectly hardy.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	400 sq. ft. (37 m2) with grass base
Status in captivity	Several hundred - vulnerable
Full adult plumage	Second year
Egg clutch size	2 - 4 eggs
Incubation Period	28 days
Feeding Habits	Largely vegetarian with emphasis on fruit and berries
Special note	Great care in stock selection is required..

Reeves Pheasant

(Syrmaticus reevesii)

The Reeves's Pheasant, Syrmaticus reevesii, is a large (up to 210 cm long)pheasant within the genus syrmaticus. It is endemic to China.
The name commemorates the British naturalist John Reeves, who first introduced live specimens to Europe in 1831. The male is a brightly plumaged bird with a scaled golden white and red body plumage, grey legs, brown iris and red skin around eye. The head is white with a black narrow band across its eyes. The male has an extremely long silvery white tail barred with chestnut brown. The female is a brown bird with blackish crown, buff face and grey brown barred tail feathers

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	200 sq. ft. (18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Numerous
Full adult plumage	First year
Egg clutch size	7 - 14 eggs
Incubation Period	25 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet

EDWARDS' PHEASANT

(Lophura edwardsi)

Edwards pheasant is endamic to the rainforests of Vietnam. it is 58-67 cm long. with red legs and facial skin. the male is a mainly blue-black bird with a crest, and the female is a drab brown bird. the alarm call is a puk-puk-puk.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	150 sq. ft. (14 m2)
Status in captivity	Reasonable, but vulnerable due to inbreeding
Full adult plumage	First year
Egg clutch size	4 - 7 eggs
Incubation Period	22 days
Feeding Habits	Nonvegetarian and grain products

Siamese Fireback Pheasant

(Lophura diardi)

The Siamese Fireback, Lophura diardi also known as Diard's Fire back is a medium-sized, approximately 80 cm long, pheasant. The male has a grey plumage with an extensive red facial skin, crimson legs and feet, ornamental black crest feathers, reddish brown iris and long curved blackish tail. The female is a brown bird with blackish wing and tail feathers.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	150 - 200 sq. ft. (14 - 18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Fair
Full adult plumage	First year, but a little duller
Egg clutch size	5 - 8 eggs
Incubation Period	24 - 25 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet
Special note	Some heat in winter advisable

Swinhoe Pheasant

(Lophura swinhoei)

Swinhoe Pheasant is a spectacular bird, with glossy blue-purple chest, belly and rump, brown shoulder, red facial wattles and bright white tail feathers, back of the neck and crest. The female, as is typical with pheasant species, is a dark brown barred color.
The bird was named after the British ornithologist Robert Swinhoe, who first described the species in 1862.
Swinhoe's Pheasants mainly eat seeds and fruits, as well as insects and other animal matter. The female lays 2-6 eggs which are incubated for 25–28 days. The young can leave the nest from 2–3 days.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	150 sq. ft. (14 m2)
Status in captivity	Numerous
Full adult plumage	Second year
Egg clutch size	6 - 12 eggs
Incubation Period	25 days
Feeding Habits	Standard pheasant diet

HUME's BAR-TAILED PHEASANT

(Syrmaticus humiae)

The Hume's Pheasant, Syrmaticus humiae also known as Mrs. Hume's Pheasant or Bar-tailed Pheasant is a large, up to 90 cm long, forest pheasant with a grayish brown head, bare red facial skin, chestnut brown plumage, yellowish bill, brownish orange iris, white wing bars and metallic blue neck feathers. The male has a long grayish white, barred black and brown tail. The female is a chestnut brown bird with whitish throat, buff color belly and white-tipped tail.

Avicultural Notes
Minimum aviary size	200 sq. ft. (18.5 m2)
Status in captivity	Good
Full adult plumage	First year
Egg clutch size	6 - 11 eggs
Incubation Period	27 - 28 days
Feeding Habits	Normal pheasant diet