Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Chrysolophus amherstiae
The Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) is a rare partridges, pheasants, grouse, and alli found in 11 countries, weighing about 732 g. Lady Amherst's pheasant is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae.
About the Lady Amherst's Pheasant
Lady Amherst's pheasant is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khrusolophos, "with golden crest". The English name and amherstiae commemorates Sarah Amherst, who was responsible for sending the first specimen of the bird to London in 1828. It is also sometimes referred to as the Chinese copper pheasant. Lady Amherst's pheasant is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The adult male is 100–120 cm (39.5–47 in) in length, its tail accounting for 80 cm (31 in) of the total length. It is unmistakable with its nuchal cape which is white black, with a red crest. The long tail is greyish white with black bars and red streaks at the base, the chest and belly are white, the throat is scaled green, the back is dark green, the wings are blue and brown, and the rump is yellow. The "cape" can be raised in display. This species is closely related to the golden pheasant (C. pictus), but slightly larger and has a yellow eye, blue-green bare skin around it.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, Sweden, United States, Germany, Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Austria.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, December, with peak activity in May. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Lady Amherst's Pheasant?
- The adult male is 100–120 cm (39.5–47 in) in length, its tail accounting for 80 cm (31 in) of the total length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Lady Amherst's Pheasant?
- The Lady Amherst's Pheasant is a large sized bird weighing about 732 g.
- Where can you see a Lady Amherst's Pheasant?
- The Lady Amherst's Pheasant occurs in 11 countries, including China, the United Kingdom and Myanmar (Burma).
- What birds look similar to a Lady Amherst's Pheasant?
- The Lady Amherst's Pheasant is most easily confused with the Golden Pheasant.
- Is the Lady Amherst's Pheasant endangered?
- The Lady Amherst's Pheasant is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Lady Amherst's Pheasant for real
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