The Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant", is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
Similar species: Landfowl
By Claire Hamilton
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Uploaded Oct 17, 2012. Captured Jun 3, 2012 12:58 in Unnamed Road, South Africa.
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"The Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) is such a striking bird! They are native to western China; but, feral and captive populations have been established elsewhere. Even though they can fly, albeit clumsily, they prefer to run along the ground where they can forage on invertebrates and plants. However, they do roost in trees, and if startled, they can burst upwards with surprising speed to evade predators.
The males have brilliant plumage that is made complete by their black and orange ruff, which they spread across their face and neck when courting. They use their beauty to impress females during their spectacular (and entertaining) courtship displays. A male's performance is punctuated with his squeaks, clicks, whistles, and hisses as he struts around, spreading his tail, and fanning his face with his ruff. Such a display, he hopes, will win the affections of a female with whom he can mate. The females, in contrast to the males, are dull and brown. But, what she lacks in physical beauty, she more than makes up for in fortitude while nesting. Females survive without food for over three weeks while incubating their eggs to protect them from predators. During this time, the devoted mother hen survives on raindrops and dew! {Spotted in South Africa by JungleDragon moderator, Claire Hamilton} #JungleDragon" Posted 6 years ago