Vietnamese Pheasant

Cock of the Vietnam pheasant

The Vietnam pheasant ( Lophura hatinhensis ) is a controversial Hühnervogelart from the family of pheasant -like, which is endemic in north-central Vietnam. The rare and highly endangered species was only discovered in 1964. It is only considered by some authors as a subspecies of Edwards pheasant. The International Ornithological Union emphasized this taxon in 2012 from the list of valid species of birds after the Galliformes expert Steve Madge and Phil McGowan found in 2002 that the Vietnam pheasant is most likely a hybrid of Edwardfasan and silver pheasant.

Description

This rather short-tailed Fasanenart is very similar to Edward's pheasant and reaches a body length of 58-65 cm. The rooster is a featherless red eye region, a white, partly intermixed with black hood and is colored predominantly blue-black. The feathers of the top show shiny blue hems and a subterminales, black strap. In contrast to those of Edwards pheasant the two middle tail feathers are white. The legs are carmine.

The plumage of the hen is predominantly cool gray brown with a warmer tone on the wings and a black brown butt with brown central tail feather pair.

Voice

The alarm call is described as subdued, but hard gereihtes puk, similar to that of Edwards pheasant.

Distribution and population

The Vietnam pheasant is in the central Vietnam endemic, where he was first discovered in 1964. Type specimen was a rooster, a second was collected only in 1974. For a long time nothing else is known about the way until it was rediscovered in the late 1980 's. Current evidence is there from the provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh, most of the Ke Go Nature Reserve. In 1994, another occurrence in the lowlands of the Khe Net was discovered, whose continued existence is in doubt due to progressing forest use. The world stock of pheasant Vietnam is estimated at fewer than 2,500 animals. Since the habitats are threatened by large-scale land clearing for agriculture use by rice cultivation, the nature of the IUCN as endangered ( "endangered " ) is considered. Also in the already protected areas of Vietnam pheasant is threatened by hunting and illegal logging.

Way of life

The Vietnam pheasant comes in primary and secondary forests in front of the plane and in the hill country. He obviously preferred forests with dense canopy, but also appears in habitats with logging and in dense riparian vegetation occur.