Swinhoe's pheasant (''Lophura swinhoii''), also known as the Taiwan blue pheasant, is a
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
of the
pheasant
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 (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...
subfamily in the fowl family
Phasianidae. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. Along with the
Mikado pheasant
The Mikado pheasant (''Syrmaticus mikado'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. Sometimes considered an unofficial ''national bird'' of Taiwan (along with the Swinhoe's pheasant and Taiw ...
and
Taiwan blue magpie
The Taiwan blue magpie (''Urocissa caerulea''), also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie (), or the "long-tailed mountain lady" (; Taiwanese Hokkien: Tn̂g-boé soaⁿ-niû), is a bird species in the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan ...
, 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).
Etymology
The bird was named after British naturalist
Robert Swinhoe, who first described the species in 1862. Locally, the species is known in
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
as ''lánfùxián'' (), and in
Taiwanese Hokkien
Taiwanese Hokkien () (; Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-uân-uē''), also known as Taigi/Taigu (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/ Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú''), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by about ...
as ''wa-koe'' (; also ).
Description
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
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
. 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.
![Swinhoe's Pheasant Female](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Swinhoe%27s_Pheasant_Female.jpg)
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.
![Lophura swinhoii MHNT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Lophura_swinhoii_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.9.23.jpg)
Habitat
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.
Behaviour
Swinhoe's pheasant eats seeds, fruits, and some insects and other animal matter. Predators include the
crested goshawk
The crested goshawk (''Accipiter trivirgatus'') is a bird of prey from tropical Asia. It is related to other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards (or buteos) and harriers, and thus placed in the family Accipitridae.Grimmett ''et al.'' (1999) ...
,
white-bellied sea eagle
The white-bellied sea eagle (''Haliaeetus leucogaster''), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related t ...
,
Gurney's eagle
Gurney's eagle (''Aquila gurneyi'') is a large eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is found in New Guinea and Wallacea, and is an occasional vagrant to Australia.
The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur or ...
,
spot-bellied eagle-owl
The spot-bellied eagle-owl (''Bubo nipalensis''), also known as the forest eagle-owl is a large bird of prey with a formidable appearance. It is a forest-inhabiting species found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This species is con ...
, and the
civet
A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...
and
badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...
.
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.
Conservation
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
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...
in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, its global population is estimated to be over 10,000 individuals.
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.
See also
*
List of protected species in Taiwan
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of endemic species of Taiwan
The endemic species of Taiwan are organisms that are endemic to the island of Taiwan— that is, they occur nowhere else on Earth.
Percentages of endemic animals of all living species in Taiwan.
----
Percentages of endemic plants of all livi ...
*
List of endemic birds of Taiwan
The island of Taiwan, which is located in southeast Asia at the junction of the East China Sea and South China Seas, is home to 30 endemic bird species.
Endemic Bird Areas
Birdlife International defines Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) as places wher ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q715245
Swinhoe's pheasant
Endemic birds of Taiwan
Swinhoe's pheasant