Brown Eared Pheasant
Encyclopedia
The Brown Eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon mantchuricum is a large, up to 100 cm long, dark brown pheasant
of mountain forests of northern China
. It has stiff white ear coverts behind the eyes, which look like a moustache
. The crown is black with red bare facial skin and its tail of twenty-two elongated white feathers is curved, loose and dark-tipped. Both sexes are similar in plumage.
The rarest member in the genus Crossoptilon
, its diet consists mainly of roots, bulbs and plant matters. The female lays five to eight large eggs. The eggs are pale stone green in color and take 28 days to hatch.
Due to isolated population, deforestation and still hunted although legally protected by China, the Brown Eared Pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
of mountain forests of northern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It has stiff white ear coverts behind the eyes, which look like a moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
. The crown is black with red bare facial skin and its tail of twenty-two elongated white feathers is curved, loose and dark-tipped. Both sexes are similar in plumage.
The rarest member in the genus Crossoptilon
Crossoptilon
The genus Crossoptilon consists of four species of eared pheasants.All are large, sexually monomorphic and found in China.-Species:* White Eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon crossoptilon* Tibetan Eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon harmani...
, its diet consists mainly of roots, bulbs and plant matters. The female lays five to eight large eggs. The eggs are pale stone green in color and take 28 days to hatch.
Due to isolated population, deforestation and still hunted although legally protected by China, the Brown Eared Pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.