Reeves's Pheasant
Encyclopedia
The Reeves's Pheasant, Syrmaticus reevesii, is a large (up to 210 cm long) pheasant
within the genus Syrmaticus
. It is endemic
to China
.
The name commemorates the British
naturalist
John Reeves
, who first introduced live specimens to Europe in 1831.
The male is a brightly plumaged bird with a scaled golden white and red body plumage, grey legs, brown iris
and red skin around eye. The head is white with a black narrow band across its eyes. The male has an extremely long silvery white tail barred with chestnut brown.
This spectacular pheasant is mentioned in the Guinness World Records
2008 for having the longest natural tail feather of any bird species; a record formerly held by the Crested Argus Pheasant. It can measure up to 2.4 metres or 8 feet (2.4 m) long.
The female is a brown bird with blackish crown, buff face and grey brown barred tail feathers. The hen Reeves's Pheasant is the same size as a male Common Pheasant
.
There are no known subspecies but there is some variation in plumage.
to evergreen
forests of central and eastern China
. Where introduced they also inhabit farmland close to woodlands.
They have been introduced for sport and ornamental purposes to Hawaii
, USA, Czech Republic
, France
and the UK. In the latter three countries they have built up small breeding populations, and are still released on a small scale for shooting, often alongside Common Pheasants.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, and overhunting for food and its tail plumes, the Reeves's Pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. There are thought to be only around 2000 birds remaining in the wild.
They like higher ground and are hardy birds, being able to withstand heat and cold.
Their call note is unlike other gamebirds in that it is a musical warble, more passerine
sounding than would be expected. Their diet is vegetable matter as well as seeds and cereals. They are fairly common in aviculture.
A clutch of 7-14 eggs are laid in April or May and incubated for 24–25 days.
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...
within the genus Syrmaticus
Syrmaticus
The genus Syrmaticus contains the five species of long-tailed pheasants. The males have short spurs and usually red facial wattles, but otherwise differ wildly in appearance...
. It is endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
The name commemorates the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
John Reeves
John Reeves (naturalist)
John Reeves was an English naturalist. He developed a remarkable collection of Chinese drawings of animals and plants.Reeves was appointed Inspector of Tea for the British East India Company in 1808...
, who first introduced live specimens to Europe in 1831.
Description
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
and red skin around eye. The head is white with a black narrow band across its eyes. The male has an extremely long silvery white tail barred with chestnut brown.
This spectacular pheasant is mentioned in the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
2008 for having the longest natural tail feather of any bird species; a record formerly held by the Crested Argus Pheasant. It can measure up to 2.4 metres or 8 feet (2.4 m) long.
The female is a brown bird with blackish crown, buff face and grey brown barred tail feathers. The hen Reeves's Pheasant is the same size as a male Common Pheasant
Common Pheasant
The Common Pheasant , is a bird in the pheasant family . It is native to Georgia and has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird. In parts of its range, namely in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe , it is simply known as the "pheasant"...
.
There are no known subspecies but there is some variation in plumage.
Distribution and habitat
The Reeves's Pheasant is endemicEndemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
forests of central and eastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Where introduced they also inhabit farmland close to woodlands.
They have been introduced for sport and ornamental purposes 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...
, USA, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the UK. In the latter three countries they have built up small breeding populations, and are still released on a small scale for shooting, often alongside Common Pheasants.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, and overhunting for food and its tail plumes, the Reeves's Pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. There are thought to be only around 2000 birds remaining in the wild.
Behaviour
Reeves's Pheasants are known to be aggressive towards humans, animals and other pheasants.Their call note is unlike other gamebirds in that it is a musical warble, more passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
sounding than would be expected. Their diet is vegetable matter as well as seeds and cereals. They are fairly common in aviculture.
A clutch of 7-14 eggs are laid in April or May and incubated for 24–25 days.