Silver Pheasant
Encyclopedia
The Silver Pheasant is a species of pheasant
found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia, and eastern and southern China
, with introduced
populations in Hawaii
and various locations in the US mainland. The male is black and white, while the female is mainly brown. Both sexes have a bare red face and red legs (the latter separating it from the greyish-legged Kalij Pheasant
). It is common in aviculture
, and overall also remains common in the wild, but some of its subspecies
(notably whiteheadi from Hainan
, engelbachi from southern Laos
, and annamensis from southern Vietnam
) are rare and threatened
.
Phasianus
when described by Linnaeus in 1758. Since then it – or at least some of the subspecies associated with it – have been placed either in Euplocamus or Gennceus. Today all major authorities place the Silver Pheasant in Lophura.
The Silver Pheasant is closely related to the Kalij Pheasant
and the two are known to hybridize. The placement of the taxa lineata and crawfurdi has been a matter of dispute, with some treating them as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant and others as subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. They have greyish legs as in the Kalij Pheasant, but their plumage
is closer to that of some subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. Additionally, as the Silver Pheasant, lineata and crawfurdi are found east of the Irrawaddy River, a major zoogeographic barrier, while all other subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant are found west of the river (oatesi, a subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant, has sometimes been reported as occurring east of that river, but this is incorrect). Based on mtDNA, it was recently confirmed that lineata and crawfurdi should be regarded as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant.
With these two as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant, the Silver Pheasant has 15 subspecies. However, while some subspecies are relatively distinctive, several others (at least rufipes, occidentalis, ripponi, jonesi, beaulieui, nycthemera and fokiensis) are likely part of a cline, which, if confirmed, would result in them being junior synonyms of the nominate subspecies. Several other taxa, for example andersoni, are now considered invalid by all major authorities.
Once considered a very rare species, the Imperial Pheasant
is actually a naturally occurring hybrid between the Silver Pheasant and the Vietnamese Pheasant
.
of the Silver Pheasant. In taxonomic order:
Males of the northern subspecies, which are the largest, have white upperparts and tail (most feathers with some black markings), while their underparts and crest are glossy bluish-black. The males of the southern subspecies have greyer upperparts and tail with extensive black markings, making them appear far darker than the northern subspecies. The adult male plumage is reached in the second year.
Females are brown and shorter-tailed than the males. Females of some subspecies have whitish underparts strongly patterned with black, and in whiteheadi this extends to the upper mantle.
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...
found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia, and eastern and southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, with introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
populations in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and various locations in the US mainland. The male is black and white, while the female is mainly brown. Both sexes have a bare red face and red legs (the latter separating it from the greyish-legged Kalij Pheasant
Kalij Pheasant
The Kalij Pheasant, Lophura leucomelanos, is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from the Northern India to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have an at least partially glossy bluish-black plumage,...
). It is common in aviculture
Aviculture
Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
, and overall also remains common in the wild, but some of its 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...
(notably whiteheadi from Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
, engelbachi from southern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, and annamensis from southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) are rare and threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
.
Taxonomy
As other pheasant, the Silver Pheasant was placed in the genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Phasianus
Phasianus
The "typical" pheasant genus Phasianus in the family Phasianidae consists of at least one species. Both Phasianus and "pheasant" comes from the Greek word phāsiānos, meaning " of the Phasis". Phasis is the ancient name of the main river of western Georgia, currently called the Rioni.The Common...
when described by Linnaeus in 1758. Since then it – or at least some of the subspecies associated with it – have been placed either in Euplocamus or Gennceus. Today all major authorities place the Silver Pheasant in Lophura.
The Silver Pheasant is closely related to the Kalij Pheasant
Kalij Pheasant
The Kalij Pheasant, Lophura leucomelanos, is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from the Northern India to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have an at least partially glossy bluish-black plumage,...
and the two are known to hybridize. The placement of the taxa lineata and crawfurdi has been a matter of dispute, with some treating them as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant and others as subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. They have greyish legs as in the Kalij Pheasant, but their plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is closer to that of some subspecies of the Silver Pheasant. Additionally, as the Silver Pheasant, lineata and crawfurdi are found east of the Irrawaddy River, a major zoogeographic barrier, while all other subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant are found west of the river (oatesi, a subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant, has sometimes been reported as occurring east of that river, but this is incorrect). Based on mtDNA, it was recently confirmed that lineata and crawfurdi should be regarded as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant.
With these two as subspecies of the Kalij Pheasant, the Silver Pheasant has 15 subspecies. However, while some subspecies are relatively distinctive, several others (at least rufipes, occidentalis, ripponi, jonesi, beaulieui, nycthemera and fokiensis) are likely part of a cline, which, if confirmed, would result in them being junior synonyms of the nominate subspecies. Several other taxa, for example andersoni, are now considered invalid by all major authorities.
Once considered a very rare species, the Imperial Pheasant
Imperial Pheasant
The Imperial Pheasant, Lophura × imperialis is a dark blue medium-sized, up to 75 cm long, pheasant with bare red facial skin, blue crest, crimson legs and glossy plumage. Female is brown with erectile short feather crest, blackish tail and primaries.The Imperial Pheasant is found in the...
is actually a naturally occurring hybrid between the Silver Pheasant and the Vietnamese Pheasant
Vietnamese Pheasant
The Vietnamese Pheasant, or Vietnam Fireback, is a species of gallopheasant. Discovered in 1964, it is endemic to central Vietnam. Its range concentrates around Ke Go Nature Reserve in Ha Tinh Province.-References:*...
.
Subspecies
There are 15 recognized subspeciesSubspecies
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 Silver Pheasant. In taxonomic order:
- L. n. occidentalis – Western Silver Pheasant – south central China and northeastern Myanmar
- L. n. rufipes – Ruby mines Silver Pheasant – northern Shan StateShan StateShan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
of northern Myanmar - L. n. ripponi – Rippon's Silver Pheasant – southern Shan State of northern Myanmar
- L. n. jonesi – Jones's Pheasant – Myanmar to southwestern China and central Thailand
- L. n. omeiensis – Szechwan Silver Pheasant – southern SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
in south central China - L. n. rongjiangensi – Kweichow Silver Pheasant – southeastern GuizhouGuizhou' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
in south central China - L. n. beaulieui – Lao Silver Pheasant – south central China to northern Laos and northern Vietnam
- L. n. nycthemera – nominate – southern China to northern Vietnam
- L. n. whiteheadi – Hainan Silver Pheasant – HainanHainanHainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
in southern China - L. n. fokiensis – Fokien Silver Pheasant – southeastern China
- L. n. berliozi – Berlioz's Silver Pheasant – western slopes of Annamite RangeAnnamite RangeThe Annamite Range or the Annamese Mountains is a mountain range of eastern Indochina, which extends approximately through Laos, Vietnam, and a small area in northeast Cambodia. It is known in Vietnamese as Dãy Trường Sơn, in Lao as Xai Phou Luang , and in French as the Chaîne Annamitique...
in central Vietnam - L. n. beli – Bel's Silver Pheasant – eastern slopes of Annamite Range in central Vietnam
- L. n. engelbachi – Boloven Silver Pheasant – Bolaven PlateauBolaven PlateauThe Bolaven Plateau is an elevated region in Laos. It is located between the Annamite Mountain Range, along which runs Laos’ eastern border with Vietnam, and the Mekong River to the west, at about . The plateau's elevation ranges approximately from above sea level. The plateau is crossed by...
of southern Laos - L. n. lewisi – Lewis's Silver Pheasant – mountains of southwest Cambodia and southeast Thailand
- L. n. annamensis – Annam Silver Pheasant – montane forests of southern Vietnam
Description
This is a relatively large pheasant, with males of the largest subspecies having a total length of 120 to 125 cm (47.2 to 49.2 in), including a tail of up to 75 cm (29.5 in), while the males of the smallest subspecies barely reach 70 cm (27.6 in) in total length, including a tail of about 30 cm (11.8 in). The body mass of males can range from 1.13–2 kg (2.5–4.4 lb). Females of all subspecies are notably smaller than their respective males, with a size range of 55–90 cm (21.7–35.4 in) in total length, including a tail of 24–32 cm (9.4–12.6 in). The body mass of females can range from 1–1.3 kg (2.2–2.9 lb).Males of the northern subspecies, which are the largest, have white upperparts and tail (most feathers with some black markings), while their underparts and crest are glossy bluish-black. The males of the southern subspecies have greyer upperparts and tail with extensive black markings, making them appear far darker than the northern subspecies. The adult male plumage is reached in the second year.
Females are brown and shorter-tailed than the males. Females of some subspecies have whitish underparts strongly patterned with black, and in whiteheadi this extends to the upper mantle.