Birds · Galliformes · Phasianidae

Silver Pheasant

Lophura nycthemera

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The silver pheasant is one of the most widely kept ornamental birds in the world. The male has a silvery white back and tail finely lined with black, a dark blue belly and intensely red bare facial skin. It lives in montane forest in southern China and the north of South-East Asia, in groups of one male and several females. Its enormous geographical variability has given rise to more than a dozen described subspecies.

Weight

1 kg – 2 kg

Size

70 cm – 1.3 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

It has been one of the commonest pheasants in aviculture collections worldwide since the 18th century, to the point that feral populations exist in several countries outside its natural range.
The wild populations vary so much from one mountain range to another that more than a dozen subspecies have been described, some with an almost black rather than silvery back.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Montane forest and bamboo forest of southern China and northern Indochina, between 600 and 2,500 m
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 26 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 6 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lophura_nycthemera