Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Chrysolophus amherstiae
Attractive terrestrial bird of hilly forests with dense patches of undergrowth. Stately male is resplendent, with long striped tail, white belly, and black-and-white scaling on neck. Female brown with black striping and gray skin around the eye. Female Golden Pheasant similar but grayer in coloration and has smaller pinkish eye patch. Moves about quietly when feeding in dense vegetation, usually singly or in pairs.
Identification
Lady Amherst's pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khrusolophos, "with golden crest". The English name and amherstiae commemorates Sarah Amherst, who was responsible for sending the first specimen of the bird to London in 1828. It is also sometimes referred to as the Chinese copper pheasant. Lady Amherst's pheasant is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Taxonomy
Genus: Chrysolophus; Family: Phasianidae; Order: Galliformes.
- Scientific name
- Chrysolophus amherstiae
- Authority
- (Leadbeater, 1829)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Chrysolophus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Tiny, boldly colored flycatcher of lowland rainforest. Black and yellow with a boat-shaped bill. Found in the canopy of mature rainforest, often in upland areas; occasionally also found around forest edges, including sometimes around gardens and human dwellings. Listen for its song, a long, steady series of high metallic chips, given at a pace of slightly faster than one note per second.
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