Between The Bars

Being incredibly beautiful is not something very good for these birds. I found these 3 exotic species of pheasants being captivated in cages in the Royal Project area at Doi Angkang. All these 3 pheasants are naturally found in China and they are very difficult to see in the wild. However, they are all well known among bird cage players. I really hope that one day I'll be able to see these three fantastic pheasants in the wild. It'd be a much more exciting and worthy experience than to see them being caged up in such small area like prisoners.

The first species of the three is the Reeves's Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) which, I think, is the most beautiful one. The male has a classy plumage of white, black and gold; not too bright or too dim, just...perfect. The photos of the female in the lower row show the bird dust bathing. I also found a great video showing the male bird in the wild. The video was shot in Henan, China, by a Chinese birder and it really shows off the male's incredibly long tail which seems to be in its perfect condition even running in those dense vegetation. You can view the video here through Facebook.

The second one is the well-known Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), another endemic species to China. The male bird is undoubtedly one of the world's most remarkable birds with its shiny golden head and neck contrasting with bright scarlet underparts, but to me all of these look a little bit too much. It is slightly smaller than the above Reeves's Pheasant.

The last species is the Golden Pheasant's close relative, the Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae). It is naturally found in southern China, especially in Yunnan district. The male bird has a similar pattern to the male Golden, but with a more subtle colours. It is also a little bit bigger than the Golden.