Blood pheasant
| Blood pheasant | ||||||||
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Blood pheasant ( Ithaginis cruentus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||
| Ithaginis | ||||||||
| Wagler , 1832 | ||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||
| Ithaginis cruentus | ||||||||
| ( Hardwicke , 1821) |
The blood pheasant ( Ithaginis cruentus ) is a species within the pheasant family . The species is the only recent member of the genus Ithaginis . The species occurs in several subspecies exclusively in East Asia.
Appearance
The male of the blood pheasant reaches a body length of 44 to 48 centimeters. Females stay a bit smaller and reach a body size of 40 to 42 centimeters. They weigh between 410 and 620 grams.
The plumage is very soft and both sexes also have a feather bonnet, which is a little shorter in the female. The tail is relatively short for a species of pheasant. It tapers off in steps and consists of 14 tail feathers. The beak is short and strongly curved downwards. The beak is black with a red base. The bare skin behind the eyes is red and turns a bright red color in males during the breeding season. The legs are long and strong in relation to the body. Their color is strikingly red. The species occurs in eleven subspecies, which are divided into a green and a red-winged group.
Distribution area
The blood pheasant occurs in the west of Nepal to the north-east of India , Bhutan and the north-west of Myanmar . It is also found in Tibet , Yunnan and Gansu , Sichuan and Shaanxi . The habitat are forests and bushland at medium and high altitudes. In the summer half-year it occurs on alpine mats above the tree line as well as juniper , rhododendron , bamboo and pine forests. In winter it comes down to lower altitudes.
Subspecies
So far, twelve subspecies are known:
- Ithaginis cruentus cruentus ( Hardwicke , 1821) occurs in northern Nepal and south-central Tibet .
- Ithaginis cruentus affinis Beebe , 1912 is common in Sikkim , western Bhutan and south-southeast Tibet.
- Ithaginis cruentus tibetanus Baker, ECS , 1914 occurs in eastern Bhutan and southeastern Tibet.
- Ithaginis cruentus kuseri Beebe , 1912 is distributed in northern Assam and eastern Arunachal Pradesh , east-southeast Tibet, and northwest Yunnan .
- Ithaginis cruentus marionae Mayr , 1941 w Yunnan (sw China), ne Myanmar
- Ithaginis cruentus rocki Riley , 1925 occurs in northwestern Yunnan.
- Ithaginis cruentus larkei Rothschild , 1920 occurs in the mountains of Lijiang .
- Ithaginis cruentus geoffroyi Verreaux, J , 1867 is widespread in eastern Tibet and southwestern Sichuan .
- Ithaginis cruentus berezowskii Bianchi , 1904 occurs from the northwest of Sichuan to the south of Gansu .
- Ithaginis cruentus beicki Mayr & Birckhead , 1937 is widespread in northeast Qinghai .
- Ithaginis cruentus michaelis Bianchi , 1904 occurs in the north of Qinghai and the northwest of Gansu.
- Ithaginis cruentus sinensis David , 1873 occurs in Shaanxi .
literature
- Steve Madge , Phil McGowan, and Guy M. Kirwan : Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse. A Guide to the Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Grouse, Guineafowl, Buttonquails and Sandgrouse of the world. Christopher Helm, London 2002, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0 .
Web links
- Ithaginis cruentus onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
- Videos, photos and sound recordings about Ithaginis cruentus in the Internet Bird Collection