Pheasant
| Phasianinae | |
|---|---|
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| Mongolian Ringneck-type Common Pheasant cock | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae Horsfield, 1821 |
| Subfamily: | Phasianinae Horsfield, 1821 |
| Genus | |
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Afropavo |
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Pheasants (or Phasianinae (Horsfield, 1821)) refer to any member of the 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 longer tails. Males play no part in rearing the young. Pheasants typically eat seeds and some insects.
There are 35 species of pheasant in 11 genera. The best-known is the Common Pheasant, which is widespread throughout the world in introduced feral populations and in farm operations. Various other pheasant species are popular in aviaries, such as the Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus).
Contents |
Uses of pheasants
Pheasants are shot for sport and for the table (e.g., in Britain), and are valued for their attractive appearance.
Species in taxonomic order
This list is ordered to show presumed relationships between species
- Blood Pheasant (genus Ithaginis)
- Blood Pheasant, (I. cruentus)
- Koklass (genus Pucrasia)
- Koklass Pheasant, (P. macrolopha)
- Gallopheasants (genus Lophura)
- Kalij Pheasant, (L. leucomelanos)
- White-crested Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. hamiltoni)
- Nepal Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. leucomelanos)
- Black-backed Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. melanota)
- Black Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. moffitti)
- Black-breasted Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. lathami)
- William's Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. williamsi)
- Oates' Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. oatesi)
- Crawfurd's Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. crawfurdi)
- Lineated Kalij Pheasant, (L. l. lineata)
- Silver Pheasant, (L. nycthemera)
- Imperial Pheasant, (L. imperialis)
- Edward's Pheasant, (L. edwardsi)
- Swinhoe's Pheasant, (L. swinhoii)
- Salvadori's Pheasant, (L. inornata)
- Crestless Fireback Pheasant, (L. erythrophthalma)
- Malayan Crestless Fireback, (L. e. erythrophthalma)
- Bornean Crestless Fireback, (L. e. pyronota)
- Crested Fireback Pheasant, (L. ignita)
- Lesser Bornean Crested Fireback, (L. i. ignita)
- Greater Bornean Crested Fireback, (L. i. nobilis)
- Vieilott's Crested Fireback, (L. i. rufa)
- Delacour's Crested Fireback, (L. i. macartneyi)
- Siamese Fireback, (L. diardi)
- Bulwer's Wattled Pheasant, (L. bulweri)
- Kalij Pheasant, (L. leucomelanos)
- Eared Pheasants (genus Crossoptilon)
- White-eared Pheasant, (C. crossoptilon)
- Brown Eared Pheasant, (C. mantchuricum)
- Blue Eared Pheasant, (C. auritum)
- Cheer Pheasant (genus Catreus)
- Cheer Pheasant, (C. wallichi)
- Long-tailed Pheasants (genus Syrmaticus)
- Reeve's Pheasant, (S. reevesi)
- Elliot's Pheasant, (S. ellioti)
- Bar-tailed Pheasant, (S. humiae)
- Mikado Pheasant, (S. mikado)
- Copper Pheasant, (S. soemmerringi)
- Typical Pheasants (genus Phasianus)
- Green Pheasant (P. versicolor)
- Common Pheasant, (P. colchicus)
- Caucasus Pheasants, Phasianus colchicus colchicus group
- White-winged Pheasants, Phasianus colchicus chrysomelas/principalis group
- Prince of Wales Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus principalis
- Mongolian Ring-necked Pheasants or White-winged Ring-necked Pheasants, Phasianus colchicus mongolicus group
- Tarim Pheasants, Phasianus colchicus tarimensis group
- Chinese Ring-necked Pheasants, Phasianus colchicus torquatus group
- Taiwan Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus formosanus
- Ruffed Pheasants (genus Chrysolophus)
- Golden Pheasant, (C. pictus)
- Lady Amherst's Pheasant, (C. amherstiae)
- Peacock Pheasants (genus Polyplectron)
- Bronze-tailed Peacock Pheasant, (P. chalcurum)
- Mountain Peacock Pheasant, (P. inopinatum)
- Germain's Peacock Pheasant, (P. germaini)
- Grey Peacock Pheasant (P. bicalcaratum)
- Malaysian Peacock Pheasant, (P. malacense)
- Bornean Peacock Pheasant, (P. schleiermacheri)
- Palawan Peacock Pheasant, (P. emphanum)
- Crested Argus (genus Rheinartia)
- Crested Argus Pheasant, (R. ocellata)
- Great Argus (genus Argusianus)
- Great Argus Pheasant, (A. argus)
- Double-banded Argus, (Argusianus bipunctatus )
Pheasant Fowling.--"Showing how to catch Pheasants."--Fac-simile of a Miniature in the Manuscript of the "Livre du Roy Modus" (Fourteenth Century).
Previous classifications
Euplocamus and Gennceus are older names more or less corresponding to the current Lophura.
- Euplocamus was used, for example, by Hume and Marshall's in their Game Birds of India, Burmah and Ceylon (1879–1881).
- Gennceus, was used, for example, by Frank Finn in Indian Sporting Birds (1915) and Game Birds of India and Asia (1911?).
These old genera were used for:
| Vernacular | Hume & Marshall | Finn: Sporting Birds | Finn: Game Birds | Contemporary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vieilott's Crested Fireback | E. vielloti | Lophura rufa (sic) | L. ignita rufa | |
| Black-backed Kalij | E. melanonotus | G. melanonotus | L. leucomelanos melanota | |
| Common or White-crested Kalij | E. albocristatus | G. albocristatus | L. leucomelanos hamiltoni | |
| Nepal Kalij | E. leucomelanus | G. leucomelanus | L. leucomelanos leucomelanos | |
| Purple, Horsfield's or Black-breasted Kalij | E. horsfieldi | G. horsfieldi | L. leucomelanos lathami | |
| Lineated Kalij | E. lineatus | G. lineatus also: Burmese Silver Pheasant | L. leucomelanos lineata | |
| Anderson's Silver Pheasant | ? | G. andersoni, considered hybrid of L. nycthemera and L. l. lineata | L. nycthemera andersoni (invalid) | |
| Crawfurd's Silver Pheasant (or Crawford's? ) | E. andersoni | considered a further cross of Anderson's and L. l. lineata | ? | |
| Crawfurd's Kalij (same as C.'s Silver Pheasant?) | ? | G. andersoni | L. leucomelanos crawfurdi | |
| Cuvier's Kalij | ? | G. cuvieri | ? | |
| Oates's Kalij | ? | G. oatesi | L. leucomelanos oatesi | |
| Whitehead's Silver Pheasant | ? | G. whiteheadi | ? | |
| Swinhoe's Kalij | ? | G. swinhoii | L. swinhoii |
References
- Beebe, William. 1918-22. A Monograph of the Pheasants. 1st edition in 4 volumes: H. F. Witherby, London. Reprint: 1990, Dover Publications.(4 volumes bound as 2). ISBN 0-486-26579-X and ISBN 0-486-26580-3. Republished as: Pheasants: Their Lives and Homes. 2 vols. 1926. Single volume edition: New York Zoological Society, 1936.)
- Green-Armytage, Stephen. 2002. Extraordinary Pheasants.Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York. Book ISBN 0-8109-1007-1.
- Madge and McGowan, Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse ISBN 0-7136-3966-0
External links
- Videos of pheasants in the Internet Bird Collection