Ithaginis
The Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus), the only species in genus Ithaginis in the Pheasant family, has 15 different subspecies. This species' name comes from the fact that the males have vivid red coloring on the feathers of their breast, throat and forehead. Females are more uniformily colored with duller shades of reddish brown. Both males and females have a distinct ring of bare skin around the eye that is crimson colored, in addition to red feet. Sub-species are determined by varying amounts of red and black feathers.
The Blood Pheasant lives in the mountains of Nepal, Tibet, northern Burma and the north-west areas of China. The habitat most preferred by Blood Pheasants is coniferous or mixed forests and scrub areas right at the snowline. The pheasants move their range depending on the seasons and during the summer are found at higher elevations. Populations move to lower elevations as the snow increases in the fall and winter.
Reference
- Johnsgard, Paul A. The Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1999.
