Edwards’s pheasant  (Lophura edwardsi)

Description

Until its remarkable rediscovery in 1996, Edwards’s pheasant was thought to be extinct in the wild (4) (5). Males of this small pheasant have a stunning glossy black plumage with shiny blue lustre, and metallic-green fringes to the upper wing (2). Standing out in contrast to this rich, dark plumage is a short, craggy white crest, and conspicuous red legs and facial skin (4) (6). Hens lack the cock’s crest and are much duller in colour, being uniformly greyish-brown with warmer tinged wings and a blackish tail, but share the same red legs and facial skin (4) (6). The Vietnamese pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis) is very similar to Edwards’s pheasant and is believed by some scientists to be a subspecies, but has white central tail feathers instead of blue and a slightly longer white crest (6). The female L. hatinhensis, however, is nearly identical to the L. edwardsi hen, though perhaps a little darker. DNA studies are ongoing to determine if the L. hatinhensis is indeed a subspecies or a true species (4).

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