Temminck’s tragopan  (Tragopan temminckii)

Description

This colourful bird is considered by many to be the most beautiful pheasant in the world (3). Males are bright orange-crimson, spotted with pearl-grey dots below and black-bordered white dots above. Perhaps even more striking is the vivid pale-blue skin of the face and bib-like wattle that hangs from the throat, typical of tragopan males, bearing a spectacular pattern of darker blue-violet markings down the centre, and conspicuous scarlet markings down each side (3) (4). The crown and neck are mostly black (3), and like other tragopan males, this species has two fleshy, horn-like projections above the eyes, and a very short bill (4). In contrast to the extravagant array of colours boasted by males, females have a dull plumage mottled with black, brown and grey, which helps camouflage them in their forest habitat (4). Both males and females have short tails (3).

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