Crested Fireback
Encyclopedia
The Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita, is a medium-sized, up to 70 cm long, forest pheasant
with a peacock-like dark crest, bluish black plumage, reddish brown rump, black outer tail feathers, red iris
and bare blue facial skin. The female is a brown bird with short crest, blue facial skin and spotted black-and-white below.
The Crested Fireback is found in lowland forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo
and Sumatra
. There are four subspecies
of the Crested Fireback. Males of the subspecies from Borneo and Bangka Island
, L. i. ignita (Lesser Bornean Crested Fireback) and L. i. nobilis (Greater Bornean Crested Fireback), have brown central tail feathers, whitish legs and are rufous
below. The male Vieillot's Crested Fireback, L. i. rufa, of the Thai-Malay Peninsula and most of Sumatra has white central tail feathers, red legs and bluish black streaked white below. The final subspecies, Delacour's Crested Fireback, L. i. macartneyi, is found in south-eastern Sumatra and the male has white to the tail, whitish legs and a variable amount of rufous
below. The female of L. i ignita and L. i. nobilis have a dark, blackish tail and whitish legs, while female of L. i.a rufa has a chestnut brown tail and red legs.
The diet consists mainly of plants, fruits and small animals. The female usually lays between four to eight creamy white eggs.
Due to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, the Crested Fireback is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Malaysia.
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...
with a peacock-like dark crest, bluish black plumage, reddish brown rump, black outer tail feathers, red iris
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 bare blue facial skin. The female is a brown bird with short crest, blue facial skin and spotted black-and-white below.
The Crested Fireback is found in lowland forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. There are four subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Crested Fireback. Males of the subspecies from Borneo and Bangka Island
Bangka Island
Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. Population 626,955. Area: c.4,600 sq mi .There is an additional small island named Pulau Bangka in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.-Geography:...
, L. i. ignita (Lesser Bornean Crested Fireback) and L. i. nobilis (Greater Bornean Crested Fireback), have brown central tail feathers, whitish legs and are rufous
Rufous
Rufous is a colour that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish-red, as of rust or oxidised iron.The first recorded use of rufous as a colour name in English was in the year 1782....
below. The male Vieillot's Crested Fireback, L. i. rufa, of the Thai-Malay Peninsula and most of Sumatra has white central tail feathers, red legs and bluish black streaked white below. The final subspecies, Delacour's Crested Fireback, L. i. macartneyi, is found in south-eastern Sumatra and the male has white to the tail, whitish legs and a variable amount of rufous
Rufous
Rufous is a colour that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish-red, as of rust or oxidised iron.The first recorded use of rufous as a colour name in English was in the year 1782....
below. The female of L. i ignita and L. i. nobilis have a dark, blackish tail and whitish legs, while female of L. i.a rufa has a chestnut brown tail and red legs.
The diet consists mainly of plants, fruits and small animals. The female usually lays between four to eight creamy white eggs.
Due to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, the Crested Fireback is evaluated as Near Threatened 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. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Malaysia.