Edwards's pheasant

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Edwards's pheasant
Male
Female, Zoo Bojnice, Slovakia

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Lophura
Species:
L. edwardsi
Binomial name
Lophura edwardsi
(Oustalet, 1896)
MHNT

Edwards's pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) is a

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.[3] The bird's length is 58–65 centimetres (23–26 in)[4]
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!.

There are two varieties; the nominate form L. e. edwardsi has a white crest and upper tail, whereas the northern form, usually called Vietnamese pheasant, is found with a variable number of white rectrices. This difference in the two forms may be due to inbreeding of a restricted, fragmented population there, and has also been seen in captive, inbred L. edwardsi.

In 2012 the nominate form of Edwards's pheasant have been uplisted to

Quảng Trị.[5]

Taxonomy and systematics

Edwards's pheasant was first observed in 1896. Twenty-eight years later, another species of

Lophura edwardsi
.

Description

Edwards pheasants have a body length of 58-65 cm, including the tail length, which is about 24-26 cm for males, and 20-22 cm for females. Males are heavier, with a weight between 1115-1100 g, and females around 1050 g. Males are all black, with a blue tint throughout their feathers. Females are generally chestnut-brown with no crest.[7]

Distribution and habitat

Edwards's pheasant is endemic to

Thua Thien Hue). They live in evergreen forests with lots of palms and patches of bamboo. The birds often hide in the low vegetation, and females dig their nests in the grounds of these forests. Edward's pheasants do not commonly migrate because they are not affected by cold weather and can spend most winters outside.[7]

Ecology

Song and call

Male birds have a wing-whirring sound. Their alarm call is a low guttural "uk uk uk uk uk", sometimes a hard "puk puk puk puk puk".[7]

Diet

Edward's pheasants have rarely been observed in the wild, so little is known about its behavior in its natural habitat.

An Edwards's pheasant at Denver Zoo’s diet consists of mealworms, chopped fruit, and greens, specially formulated game bird diet.[8]

Reproduction

Edward's pheasants usually breed between the months of March and May. Males push their chests, vibrate their wings, and erect the feathers on their backs to find their mate. Females can begin to breed after two years, while their maximum fertility is usually around ages 4-5.[9] On average, females lay between 4-7 eggs each time. The females make the nests well hidden and dug into the group, usually with plant debris and bamboo overtop.[9] The female incubates eggs for around 20-22 days. However, the male remains stationed close to guard the bird. The eggs are round and have a faint pink color with dotted cream spots. Juveniles are primarily chestnut-brown.[7]

Conservation status and management

Vietnam war, logging, and clearance for agriculture has significantly affected the population of this species. Khe Nuoc Trong, Bac Huong Hoa, Phong Dien,[10] and Ke Go are reserves where these birds could reside. An Action Plan
was published for this species in 2015.

The Phong Điền Nature Reserve was initially designated to protect the Edward's pheasant after the rediscovery of the species in the area in 1996.

Phong Điền; this marked the first evidence of a wild Edwards's pheasant in almost two decades, and indicates that the species may still persist in the reserve.[11][10]

References
  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T45354985A129928203.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ISBN 978-0-300-10359-5
    .
  4. ^ a b Birdlife International
  5. ^ Grainger, Matthew (6 September 2011). "One of our pheasant's is missing". Birdguides. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Vietnam Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) - BirdLife species factsheet". datazone.birdlife.org. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  7. ^
    doi:10.2173/bow.edwphe1.01
    .
  8. ^ "Jake the Edwards's Pheasant". Denver Zoo. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b "About Vietnam Pheasant". vietnampheasant.org. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b c United States Agency for International Development (2018). "PHONG DIEN NATURE RESERVE" (PDF). USAID.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Camera trap pics of rare species in Vietnam raise conservation hopes". Mongabay Environmental News. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edwards%27s_pheasant&oldid=1215404945"