Golden Pheasant

This species shows quite evident sexual dimorphism. The male is colorful, with shades of red, yellow, brown, and orange throughout his plumage, has a golden yellow crest and the tail feathers are spotted and quite long. The female is more uniformly colored and less showy than the male, with mostly brown plumage. Both have yellow legs and beak.

Although it is a colorful and showy bird, it is quite shy and difficult to spot in its natural habitat. During the breeding season they incubate their eggs for 22 to 23 days. In the first month of life the chicks are totally dependent on the mother, although after 2 weeks they can already fly. Since they are not very agile in flight, they fly straight, short and at a high speed. For this reason, they spend most of their time on the ground.

Golden Pheasants are one of the most popular species of Pheasants kept in captivity, due to the beauty of their plumage and their good adaptation to different environments. In captivity, their population is highly hybridized with other species of Pheasants (Lady Amherst, Silver, Mongolian ring-necked, Reeves, among others), giving rise to birds that, although have very varied aspects, because they are not pure, do not contribute to the genetic and conservation value of the species. Golden Pheasants are endemic to Central China. Their population in the wild has been declining due to habitat destruction for logging, illegal capture for trade and poaching. There are no specific conservation projects for this species.