Brown eared pheasant
The brown eared pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) is a large, 96– to 100-cm-long, dark brown pheasant endemic to the mountain forests of northeastern China (Shanxi and nearby provinces). The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863. 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.
| Brown eared pheasant | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Crossoptilon |
| Species: | C. mantchuricum |
| Binomial name | |
| Crossoptilon mantchuricum R. Swinhoe, 1863 | |
The rarest member in the genus Crossoptilon, its diet consists mainly of roots, bulbs, and plant matter. 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 populations, deforestation, and poaching (despite being a protected species), the brown eared pheasant is evaluated as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
References
- BirdLife International (2013). "Crossoptilon mantchuricum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)