Red-bellied golden pheasant, also known as the golden rooster, is a bird endemic to China and a national second-class protected animal. The male red-bellied pheasant is one of the most colorful pheasants, and it is said that Zheng Zuoxin, a giant in modern Chinese ornithology, was shocked by its beautiful appearance after seeing the specimen of the red-bellied pheasant in the University of Michigan Herbarium in the United States, and made up his mind to return to China to engage in ornithological research.
Male red-bellied pheasant
Slender (98 cm) with dazzling gold silky feathers on the top of the head and back, a golden and black striped occipital cape, a metallic green upper back and a crimson underside.
The wings are metallic blue , with a long , curved tail , a nearly black , barkish yellow spot on the central tail feathers , and yellowish brown for the rest of the parts.
The crown feathers on the top of the head are golden yellow with a soft silk luster, the crown feathers are long but smoothly covered on the back of the neck, and do not form a crest structure; the sides and back of the neck are covered with fan-shaped golden red feathers, and the feathers are basket black, arranged in a tight tile-like arrangement on the neck, forming a "shawl" with black stripes on a red background.
The cheeks, throat, chest, and abdomen are covered with bright red feathers, and the plumage is uniform.
Female red-bellied pheasant
The whole body is based on a grayish brown tone, and the crown of the head, the back of the neck, the upper back, the waist, the throat, the chest, the upper abdomen, and the two codices all have black stripes.
From the top of the head to the back of the body, the base color gradually transitions from gray-brown to a relatively dark brown, the black stripes on the top of the head are very thin, and the silver-gray ear feathers are located behind the eyes, and the black transverse spots gradually widen from the top of the head to the back of the body, and the black transverse spots at the flight feathers are basically the same width as the brown part; the tail feathers are long and structured, with earth yellow as the base color, with black-dark brown transverse spots.
The red-bellied pheasant is often active in the mountains, and in summer it is often active alone or in pairs on the rocky and steep slopes, in the short trees that grow on the hillsides, and at night it prefers to find coniferous forests to inhabit the branches. In winter, there is a shortage of mountain food, and the red-bellied pheasant has to flock to the farmland in the plain area during the day to forage for food, and at night to return to the habitat of the mountain trees.
Its natural habitats are montane evergreen broad-leaved forests, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, as well as in forest margin shrubs, grasses and dwarf bamboo forests, and forage near farmland in winter. At night, it inhabits the shelter of the canopy and moves on the ground during the day. Alone or in small groups, wandering in the forest for food.
Integrate 4-5, or more than 10 small groups, up to 20-30 in winter. Extremely good at running, but with poor flying ability. It prefers short trees on the slopes and secondary subtropical broad-leaved forests and deciduous broad-leaved forests. Often domesticated.
Mainly eating plants, mainly eating ferns, legumes, grass seeds and wheat leaves, soybeans and other crops, but also eating a variety of insects and small invertebrates.
The red-bellied pheasant begins breeding in April. Males in estrus often clash fiercely over females.
Male birds of the opposite sex are found to be circling the female in a complex courtship ritual with the female as the center.
Including a specific route of circumnavigation dance, showing off beautiful feathers, a courtship dance that twists the body, etc., this kind of performance can last for nearly 2 hours.
The red-bellied golden pheasant nests in the inaccessible and well-hidden deep mountain grass, laying 10-15 eggs per nest, and the incubation period is 23-25 days.
The chicks are early adults and can forage for food on their own once hatched.
Sub-adult red-bellied pheasant
Red-bellied golden pheasant is an endemic bird species in China, distributed in the southwestern region of Qinghai in central and western China, Gansu and southern Shaanxi, Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi, the core area of this species distribution is in Gansu and southern Shaanxi Qinling, it is rumored that the name of Baoji City in Shaanxi Province comes from this species.
At the launch ceremony of the "Chinese Bird" stamp held on March 3, 2008, Sun Yuehua, vice chairman of the Ornithology Branch of the Zoological Society of China, revealed that as a rare special bird in China, the red-bellied golden pheasant will be expected to be elected as the national bird. "At present, more than 40 countries and regions in the world have identified their own national birds. As a world power, China should determine its own national bird as soon as possible. ”
National Bird proposal
Among all the candidates for the "national brand" business card, "phoenix" has always been a hot topic. Although the phoenix does not exist in reality, in the hearts of the vast majority of Chinese, it is a very real image, and it has long been a national bird of Chinese in spirit. However, due to the special significance of the national bird selection, the phoenix is not eligible for candidacy. "Those who are designated as national birds must be rare special birds and birds of great significance that are loved by the people of this country." Sun Yuehua said that first of all, this kind of bird must exist in reality, and secondly, it must be a bird endemic to the country.
"Red-crowned cranes are migratory birds and are also found in countries such as Japan, North Korea and Russia. In addition, the crested ibises have the same problems as the red-crowned crane, and the Latin literary name of the crested ibis, nipponianippon, means 'Japan'. Sun Yuehua said that because of scientific names and other issues, it is inappropriate for red-crowned cranes and crested ibises to participate in international exchanges as China's national birds.
"China's territory is like a big rooster jumping on the paper, and China is the country with the richest pheasant birds in the world, with pheasant birds as the national bird, corresponding to it." The red-bellied golden pheasant is distributed in the mountain forests of central, northwest and southwest China, with colorful feathers. Sun Yuehua introduced that the red-bellied golden pheasant had the reputation of "five virtues" in ancient China: those who wear a crown on their heads, Wen Ye; those who fight at foot distance, Wu Ye; those who dare to fight in front of the enemy, Yong Ye; those who see food and call each other, Ren Ye; those who keep vigil and do not lose time, Xinye.
In 2001, at the opening of the 21st World University Games, the entrance signs of athletes from various countries were drawn for the first time with beautiful patterns representing the birds of the country. Since China has not established a national bird, before the opening ceremony, the Chinese Ornithological Society and other units repeatedly discussed, and finally chose the red-bellied golden pheasant. Sun Yuehua told reporters that what kind of bird China's national bird is still up in the air, so he called on the relevant government departments to put the determination of the national bird on the agenda as soon as possible.
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