About the Brown Eared Pheasant
The brown eared pheasant is a large pheasant, 83–110 cm in length. The body is dark brown overall, with the head and neck black and bare bright red facial skin. Long, stiff white ear tufts emerge from the sides of the head, forming a bundle. Both sexes are similar in colouration. The species is endemic to the mountain forests of northern China.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The crown feathers are velvety and dark brown, and the neck is also dark brown with a faint, narrow white band across the nape. The base of the forehead is white with black tips. The area behind the nostrils and the ear coverts are white. The ear feathers form stiff bundles that extend backward and project above the head and neck, resembling a pair of horns. The sides of the head are bare and bright red, covered with small wart-like bumps. The upper back and shoulders are glossy brown, with feather tips loose and hair-like. Voice: The brown-eared pheasant produces a variety of calls rather than true songs. Its common call is transcribed as "gu-ji" or "gu-gu", used for communication between individuals, including between parents and chicks. The alarm call is a repeated "ji-ji", while a rhythmic "gua-gua-gua" call is produced during courtship displays.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in June · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Tibetan Eared PheasantCrossoptilon harmaniThe Tibetan eared pheasant shares many characteristics, such as the short ears and the droopy tail, with the white eared pheasant (C. crossoptilon), as well as having similar calls and hybridising with it in the Salween Valley, so the two may be conspecific.
Blue Eared PheasantCrossoptilon auritumThe blue eared pheasant is around 96 cm (38 in) long (including the 49–56 cm (19–22 in) tail); males weigh 1700–2110 g, and females 1450–1880 g.
White Eared PheasantCrossoptilon crossoptilonThe white eared pheasant, also known as Dolan's eared pheasant or Bee's pheasant, is a species of "eared pheasant" that get its name because its colouration is white and has the prominent ear tufts of the genus, not because it has white ears.
Learn the Brown Eared Pheasant for real
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