Imperial Pheasant
Encyclopedia
The Imperial Pheasant, Lophura × imperialis is a dark blue medium-sized, up to 75 cm long, pheasant
with bare red facial skin, blue crest, crimson legs and glossy plumage. Female is brown with erectile short feather crest, blackish tail and primaries.
The Imperial Pheasant is found in the forests of Vietnam
and Laos
. Its appearance resembles another Vietnam's enigmatic bird, the Vietnamese Pheasant
, but is larger in size, has longer tail, all dark blue crest and tail feathers. The latter species has white crest and central tail feathers.
Previously known only from a pair taken alive to Europe by Jean Théodore Delacour
in 1923, this species was rediscovered in 1990, when an immature male was trapped by rattan
collector. Another immature male was caught in February 2000.
This rare bird was determined not to be a true species, but naturally occurring hybrids between the Vietnamese Pheasant
and the subspecies annamensis of the Silver Pheasant
.
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
with bare red facial skin, blue crest, crimson legs and glossy plumage. Female is brown with erectile short feather crest, blackish tail and primaries.
The Imperial Pheasant is found in the forests of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. Its appearance resembles another Vietnam's enigmatic bird, the Vietnamese Pheasant
Vietnamese Pheasant
The Vietnamese Pheasant, or Vietnam Fireback, is a species of gallopheasant. Discovered in 1964, it is endemic to central Vietnam. Its range concentrates around Ke Go Nature Reserve in Ha Tinh Province.-References:*...
, but is larger in size, has longer tail, all dark blue crest and tail feathers. The latter species has white crest and central tail feathers.
Previously known only from a pair taken alive to Europe by Jean Théodore Delacour
Jean Théodore Delacour
Jean Théodore Delacour was an American ornithologist of French origin. He was renowned for not only discovering but also rearing some of the rarest birds in the world...
in 1923, this species was rediscovered in 1990, when an immature male was trapped by rattan
Rattan
Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
collector. Another immature male was caught in February 2000.
This rare bird was determined not to be a true species, but naturally occurring hybrids between the Vietnamese Pheasant
Vietnamese Pheasant
The Vietnamese Pheasant, or Vietnam Fireback, is a species of gallopheasant. Discovered in 1964, it is endemic to central Vietnam. Its range concentrates around Ke Go Nature Reserve in Ha Tinh Province.-References:*...
and the subspecies annamensis of the Silver Pheasant
Silver Pheasant
The Silver Pheasant is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia, and eastern and southern China, with introduced populations in Hawaii and various locations in the US mainland. The male is black and white, while the female is mainly brown...
.