Kalij pheasant

Appearance

Males have a total length of 63 to 74 centimetres and females 50 to 60 centimetres. Very roughly, the subspecies can be divided into two main groups, with the first being found in the western and central part of the species' range, while the second 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. In the second group, the underparts and crest are glossy blue-black, but the tail and upperparts are white 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.

Naming

There are nine recognized subspecies of the kalij pheasant. In taxonomic order:

⤷  ''L. l. hamiltoni'' J.E. Gray, 1829) – white-crested kalij pheasant – western Himalayas
⤷  ''L. l. leucomelanos'' – nominate – forests of Nepal
⤷  ''L. l. melanota'' – black-backed kalij pheasant – Sikkim and western Bhutan
⤷  ''L. l. moffitti'' – black kalij pheasant – central Myanmar
⤷  ''L. l. lathami'' – Horsfield's pheasant – eastern Bhutan 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