Reeves's pheasant  (Syrmaticus reevesii)

Reeves's pheasant populations are severely fragmented and declining in the face of ongoing habitat loss and over-hunting (3). Widespread deforestation as a result of logging operations, fuelwood collecting and the demand for agricultural land is the primary threat to this magnificent bird. Hunting is thought to pose an additional threat, and its eggs are also collected for food. In some areas, this pheasant is killed because it is regarded as an agricultural pest, and some are poisoned on farmland by bait intended for rodents. In the past, it was hunted for its long tail feathers, which were used as decoration in Peking opera costumes, but plastic feathers are now increasingly being used (6).

Reeves's pheasant is a Nationally Protected Species (Second Class) in China, and listed as a protected species by the provincial governments of some of the provinces where it occurs. In the mid-1990s, a new national law was declared in China, forbidding the keeping of guns in private homes, including shotguns used for hunting, which has led to a significant reduction in hunting with guns of Chinese wildlife. Nevertheless, other forms of hunting are still widespread, including the use of poison baits and nets. Reeves's pheasant has a relatively wide distribution, and occurs in many protected areas, including Tuoda forest in Guizhou, established as a nature reserve by the local government in 1992 specifically for the conservation of Reeves's pheasant and its habitat, although illegal felling has since occurred here. Much work has been done around the reserve to raise local awareness of the plight of this species, and conservation programmes have been developed. Around 3,000 specimens are estimated to exist in captivity around the world, and Dongzhai Nature Reserve and Henan Normal University have established a captive-breeding centre. However, where the cause of the decline is habitat loss, bolstering wild populations with captive stock would likely have a limited impact on the long-term conservation of this rare, long-tailed pheasant (6).