Swinhoe's pheasant
Swinhoe's pheasant, also known as the Taiwan blue pheasant, is a bird of the pheasant subfamily in the fowl family Phasianidae. It is endemic to Taiwan. Along with the Mikado pheasant and Taiwan blue magpie, two other Taiwan endemics, Swinhoe's pheasant is sometimes considered an unofficial national symbol for Taiwan, as it bears the colours of the national flag.
Etymology
The bird was named after British naturalist Robert Swinhoe, who first discovered the species in 1862. Locally, the species is known in Mandarin as lánfùxián, and in Taiwanese Hokkien as wa-koe.Description
The male Swinhoe's pheasant can grow up to 79 cm. He has a glossy blue-purple chest, belly, and rump, white nape, red wattles, white tail feathers, and a white crest. The female is brown marked with yellow, arrow-shaped spots and complex barring patterns, and has maroon outer rectrices. The juvenile male is dark blue with brown and yellow patterns on its wings. Swinhoe's pheasants can also be distinguished from the Mikado pheasant by having red legs.During display, the male's wattles become engorged and he performs a display consisting of a hop followed by running in a circle around females. A frontal display with the tail fanned is occasionally observed. He also does a wing-whirring display like other Lophura pheasants.
Habitat
Swinhoe's pheasant is found in the mountains of central Taiwan, where it lives in primary broadleaf forest up to 2,300 m in elevation.Behaviour
Swinhoe's pheasant eats seeds, fruits, and some insects and other animal matter. Predators include the crested goshawk, white-bellied sea eagle, Gurney's eagle, spot-bellied eagle-owl, and the civet and badger.The female lays a clutch of two to six eggs, which are incubated for 25 to 28 days. The young can leave the nest at 2-3 days old. Swinhoe's pheasant is often assumed to be polygynous, as males are often seen with several females, though confirmation is lacking.