Kalij Pheasant
Encyclopedia
The Kalij Pheasant, Lophura leucomelanos, is a pheasant
found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from the Northern India
to western Thailand
. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies
involved, but all have an at least partially glossy bluish-black plumage
, while females are overall brownish. Both sexes have a bare red face and greyish legs (the latter separating it from the red-legged Silver Pheasant
). It is generally common and widespread, though three of its eastern subspecies (oatesi, lineata and crawfurdi) are considered threatened
and moffitti is virtually unknown in the wild.
The name is also spelt Kaleege in old texts, such as Game Birds of India and Asia by Frank Finn
, though no longer in his Indian Sporting Birds. It has also been introduced to Hawaii
(though somewhat rare), where it is considered an invasive species
because it consumes and disperses seeds of invasive plant species.
and the two are known to hybridize. The placement of the taxa lineata and crawfurdi has been a matter of dispute, with some treating them as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant and others as subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. They have greyish legs as in the Kalij Pheasant, but their plumage
is closer to that of some subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. Additionally, as the Silver Pheasant, lineata and crawfurdi are found east of the Irrawaddy River, a major zoogeographic barrier, while all other subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant are found west of the river (oatesi, a subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant, has sometimes been reported as occurring east of that river, but this is incorrect). Based on mtDNA, it was recently confirmed that lineata and crawfurdi should be regarded as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant.
of the Kalij Pheasant. In taxonomic order:
Females are brownish. In some subspecies the underparts are distinctly marked in whitish and black, while in others most feathers are pale-edged, resulting in a scaly appearance.
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...
found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from the Northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to western Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
involved, but all have an at least partially glossy bluish-black plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
, while females are overall brownish. Both sexes have a bare red face and greyish legs (the latter separating it from the red-legged 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...
). It is generally common and widespread, though three of its eastern subspecies (oatesi, lineata and crawfurdi) are considered threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
and moffitti is virtually unknown in the wild.
The name is also spelt Kaleege in old texts, such as Game Birds of India and Asia by Frank Finn
Frank Finn
Frank Finn FZS, MBOU was an English ornithologist.Finn was born in Maidstone and educated at Maidstone Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford. He went on a collecting expedition to East Africa in 1892, and became First Assistant Superintendent of the Indian Museum, Calcutta in 1894, and...
, though no longer in his Indian Sporting Birds. It has also been introduced to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
(though somewhat rare), where it is considered an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
because it consumes and disperses seeds of invasive plant species.
Taxonomy
The Kalij Pheasant is closely related to the Silver PheasantSilver 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...
and the two are known to hybridize. The placement of the taxa lineata and crawfurdi has been a matter of dispute, with some treating them as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant and others as subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. They have greyish legs as in the Kalij Pheasant, but their plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is closer to that of some subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. Additionally, as the Silver Pheasant, lineata and crawfurdi are found east of the Irrawaddy River, a major zoogeographic barrier, while all other subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant are found west of the river (oatesi, a subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant, has sometimes been reported as occurring east of that river, but this is incorrect). Based on mtDNA, it was recently confirmed that lineata and crawfurdi should be regarded as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant.
Subspecies
There are nine recognized subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Kalij Pheasant. In taxonomic order:
- L. l. hamiltoni – White-crested Kalij Pheasant – western HimalayasHimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
- L. l. leucomelanos – nominate – forests of NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
- L. l. melanota – Black-backed Kalij Pheasant – SikkimSikkimSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
and western BhutanBhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China... - L. l. moffitti – Black Kalij Pheasant – central MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
- L. l. lathami – Horsfield's Pheasant – eastern BhutanBhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and northern India to Myanmar - L. l. williamsi – William's Kalij Pheasant – western Myanmar
- L. l. oatesi – Oate's Kalij Pheasant – southern Myanmar
- L. l. crawfurdi – Crawfurt's Pheasant – southeastern Myanmar to peninsular Thailand
- L. l. lineata – Lineated Pheasant – southern Myanmar to northwestern Thailand
Description
Males have a total length of 63 to 74 cm (24.8 to 29.1 in) and females 50 to 60 cm (19.7 to 23.6 in). Very roughly, the subspecies can be divided into two main groups, with the first (subspecies hamiltoni, leucomelanos, melanota, moffitti and lathami) being found in the western and central part of the species' range, while the second (williamsi, oatesi, lineata and crawfurdi) is found in the eastern part. In the males of the first group most of plumage is glossy blue-black, though with white to the rump or underparts in most subspecies, and in hamiltoni, the westernmost subspecies, the crest is white (all other have a blue-black crest). In the second group, the underparts and crest are glossy blue-black, but the tail and upperparts are white (or very pale grey) with most feathers densely vermiculated with black.Females are brownish. In some subspecies the underparts are distinctly marked in whitish and black, while in others most feathers are pale-edged, resulting in a scaly appearance.