Hello! We are the beautiful Silver Pheasants. We look similar to chickens and peafowls because of our body and tail respectively. Have a look at a few important points about us:
- We are first described by Swedish Zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
- Do you know? There are hybrid species between us and Khalij pheasants as well as Vietnamese pheasants. The rare Imperial Pheasant is a hybrid between us and Vietnamese pheasants.
- During the breeding season, males attract females using their beautiful wings; flapping them up and down along with vibrations and whirring noises.
- In our range, we are found as 15 subspecies and are most widespread.
- We can be seen in various poetry and art of China. We are also sometimes called White phoenix.
- We are not regular flyers but like any other pheasant, we fly for a short distance when we are threatened. Our flight speed is about 70 kmph which is quite fast.
- We are hardy birds, meaning we have a high tolerance towards extreme temperatures.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Lophura Nycthemera.
Identification: Normal sized chicken with males having black and white feathers and females having brown feathers. Have a long tail.
Our Habitat: forest edges, grasslands and rarely in forests.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Omnivorous; feed on grains, peanuts, fruits and insects.
Breeding Period: March to May.
Number of eggs laid: 6-9 eggs.
Incubation period: about 30 days.
SILVER PHEASANT
Lifespan: 15-20 years.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
CITES: Appendix I.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule IV.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Lophura
Species: L. Nycthemera
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We are found in East Asia. Let us tell you about our species.
We are scientifically called as Lophura Nycthemera.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are birds that look like a chicken when you see our body and look like a peafowl when you see our tail.
Males of our species have white and black colors, whereas the females are brown in color. We are distinguished by our red faces and red legs.
Largest male Species of our kind are 120 cm to 130 cm in length with the tail length of 75 cm, whereas the smallest male species reach up to 70cm with tail length of 35 cm. You can see that male of our kind has a longer tail than a female. In the case of female species, the length can go up to 90cm for largest silver pheasant with a tail length of 25cm to 30cm. Whereas the small and medium-sized female pheasants will have a length of 30cm with a tail length of 15cm.
Mass of a male can go from 1kg to 2kg and body mass of a female can go up to 1.3 kg starting from 1kg.
Young ones of our species look like females and if the young one is male; they obtain their plumage eventually.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We are species that prefer living in habitats like grasslands, forest edges and rarely inside dense forests.
We are generally found in Asia. Mostly in eastern and western part of China. We are also being introduced to Hawaii and various locations of the US.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are omnivorous birds, but we mostly eat grains, peanuts, and fruits. Insects are eaten but very rarely. We drink a lot of water regularly. We are foragers and use our feet to scratch the ground for fallen seeds and fruits.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are polygamous birds (having multiple mates in a lifetime) and also territorial. Males of our species dominate and defend their territories from other competitive males. Generally, a male with multiple females and chicks can be seen. Males attract females using their beautiful wings; flapping them up and down along with vibrations and whirring noises.
We breed in the months of April and March until the end of May. The female makes the nest on the ground and lays eggs 6-9 eggs. Eggs will be incubated for about 30 days.
Humans can classify our gender by identifying the white lines on the wings and tail. If newly born has white lines than it could be a male. The young chicks feed themselves very fast and are protected by both the parents.
OUR CONSERVATION:
We are abundant and yet our populations are said to be declining very slowly. We are “least concern” in the IUCN red list and are also listed in CITES Appendix I and protected under Indian Wildlife Protection Act,1972 Schedule IV.
