Reeves’s pheasant  (Syrmaticus reevesii)

Description

This boldly patterned pheasant (3) is instantly recognisable, having some of the longest tail feathers of any bird species (4). The male has bright golden-chestnut upper parts, with black borders to each feather creating a strongly scaled appearance, while the upper breast is darker chestnut to black, and the lower breast and side feathers are white, tipped in black (3) (5). The male’s tremendously long orange-buff tail is conspicuously barred with black and white, and the head and neck are white, encircled with a distinctive black mask across the eyes and a black collar around the neck (3). The female has a shorter tail than the male, and as in most pheasants, is more dull-coloured, being mottled brown, buff and white, providing excellent camouflage when nesting (5). The face and throat are buff, with a brown crown and band behind the eye, and the tail is barred with buff and brown (3) (5).

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