The silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera) is a species of pheasant in the order Galliformes (Aves).

Protection class

It is a Class II national protected animal.

Morphological characteristics

Male silver pheasants reach 100-119 cm in length, while females reach 58-67 cm.

Males have a blue-black crest and underpart, and the face is naked and crimson. The upper body and the wings are white, and the part from hind neck or the upper back are densely covered with black stripes in a V shape. The number and thickness of the black stripes, as well as how clearly they are seen vary with the subspecies. This is also true for the length of the white tail and the black stripes, which can tell the difference between each subspecies. Unlike the gorgeous feathers of other pheasants, the males of this species are characterized by silver feathers. The long, thick, hair-like black crest, the bright red face, the black lower part of the body, the white upper body and long tail feathers densely covered with thin V-shaped black stripes give the bird a distinctive look. In particular, the black stripes on the tail feathers get smaller and gradually disappear.

Females

A female silver pheasant has sepia or olive brown upper body, brown crest (the apex is dark brown) and crimson, naked face. The rachis on the back has a lighter color while the edges are darker. Its flight feathers are sepia and the secondary feathers have black spots outside. Tail feathers in the middle are also sepia, and the outer tail feathers are blackish brown, covered with white wavy spots. Other identification features include sepia or olive brown underpart, spotted black breast, blackish brown lower tail feathers with white spots, orange or reddish brown iris, green beak, and red feet.

Habitat

Silver pheasants usually live in forests below 2,000 meters above sea level, especially in evergreen broad-leaved forests and ravine rainforests with dense vegetation and sparse understory plants. They are also found in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests and bamboo forests.

Habits

Silver pheasants appear in pairs or in small groups of 3-6 birds, or even up to 16-17 in winter. The social group consists of a strong male at the top of the hierarchy, several female adults, less strong or younger males, and baby birds. Before the breeding season in spring, there are always fierce fights in the group. They feed on insects, plant stems and leaves, fruits and seeds.

Reproduction

Silver pheasants breed in April and May. Males compete with each other to breed with more than one female from mid-to-late March. During the courtship period, the male bird usually circles from the right rear of the female to the left side, and keeps swinging, slowly yet significantly, his tail from side to side when parallel or close to the female; and then he moves to the front of the female and walks away from the right side. After making a circle, the male bird stand still 2-3 meters apart and repeat his show 1-2 minutes later. At least 6-7 circles are made to show off his virility. Sometimes the male would squat and stand up quickly for multiple times, or stretch and flap their wings in high frequency and slow pace to attract the female.