Mikado pheasant  (Syrmaticus mikado)

Biology

The male Mikado pheasant performs the courtship display typical of most long-tailed pheasants, involving puffing up his feathers, flaring his conspicuous red face wattles, spreading his tail and ‘whirring’ his wings. Next, the cock approaches the hen, drops his wings to the ground and spreads his tail, pacing back and forth in front of the hen several times (8). Eggs-laying is thought to occur from late March until mid-July (2), into a nest made of dry leaves, twigs, grass and feathers, usually on the ground or in the trunk or branches of a fallen tree (4) (9). In captivity, five to ten white eggs are typically laid per clutch, and incubated for 28 days (2). The female is solely responsible for the incubation and nurture of fledglings (9).

Like other long-tailed pheasants, the Mikado pheasant feeds on berries, seeds, leaves, fern shoots, flower buds and insects (4) (10).

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