The Golden Pheasant is known all over the world as a magnificent, hardy game bird with yellow orbital skin and wattles. The monochromatic rusty tan on the male’s face, neck, throat, chin, and side neck account for its breathtaking natural gaze.
The male has a blazing coloration of a bright red underpart, golden rumps, and a pale brown, long barrel tail that makes it easily identified. The well-defined golden crest is tipped with red and extends from the top of the male’s head down to its neck.
The female Golden Pheasants are less flashy than the male, with a slender appearance. It has a mottled brown plumage with a brown barrel breast and sides.
Below are some interesting facts about Golden Pheasant aside from the striking looks.
- Golden Pheasant Is a China Native Bird
Golden Pheasant is a small, colorful game bird native to the forests in the mountainous areas of western China, but a naturalized population exists across the globe. In China, the Golden Pheasant represents a sign of good luck, the best fate, and prosperity.
Golden Pheasant feral populations now range in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, South America, and Australia. Conifer forests are their preferred habitat.
- Golden Pheasant Mate in Spring
The breeding season occurs in spring – at the end of March or the beginning of April. The brighter males are the legends in this time when they elaborate a courtship display.
A male Golden Pheasant spreads the stunning plumage over its head and beak like a fan, and vocalizes a high-pitched metallic sound to attract attention from females.
Although Golden Pheasants are monogamous, some males tend to have polygamous behaviors and have harems of up to eight females.
- Golden Pheasant Chicks Are Precocial
The female Golden Pheasant nests in thick bushes or tall grass on the ground, where their plumage blends in with their environment. They lay 5 -12 eggs in shallow depressions and incubate them for 22-23 days. The chicks are precocial, whereby they are hatched with eyes open and can move and feed themselves shortly after hatching.
The chicks fledge after 12 -14 days. The male Golden Pheasant acquires its bright, attractive colors during its second year of life and is sexually mature at two years old. Female ones are already fertile at 1 year of age.
- Golden Pheasant Has a Wide Range of Diet
Golden Pheasant are classified as herbivores, frugivores, granivores and folivores. They forage on forest floors, searching for berries, grubs, seeds, leaves, invertebrates, tender shoots of shrubs and bamboos, and some flowers. Occasionally, Golden Pheasant feeds on insects and spiders.
The terrestrial birds can fly clumsily in short bursts, but prefer running and spending most of their time on the ground where they feed. Golden Pheasant often forages near human settlements during winter, where they primarily take wheat leaves and seeds.
- IUCN Classifies Golden Pheasant as ‘Least Concern’
Due to its extensive range, the total population size of the Golden Pheasant is not provided in the IUCN Red List. Still, its conservation status is evaluated as ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Golden Pheasant is not threatened at present, but their numbers are declining in specific areas due to deforestation, capture for cage or pet bird trade, and overhunting for food.
Conclusion
Golden Pheasant is a flashy native bird of China known for its spectacularly brilliant coloration. The male’s vivid scarlet breast and plumage feature a kaleidoscope of colors, evoking the feelings of awe and kindling a refreshed appreciation of Mother Nature.
Flamboyant as its feathering is, spotting a Golden Pheasant in the wild is next to impossible because of its timid temperament and affinity for hiding in the dark, dense forest, sparse undergrowth, and woodlands.