Mikado Pheasant
Scientific Classification
From head to the tip of the tail, males measure around 70cm. Females are smaller, measuring about 47cm. Males are dark in color, refracting blue or violet iridescence and with red facial skin. They have long, black tail feathers with white bars that have been sought after for decades. Females are brown and speckled with brown and white quills.
This bird is found in the understorey of coniferous forests in Taiwan at an altitude between 2000 - 3200 meters above sea level. The understorey may be covered in grasses, shrubs or bamboo.
Fruits, leaves, vegetation, seeds and invertebrates.
Mikado pheasants breed between March and June. They build their nests mainly with dead branches, fallen leaves, dry grass and feathers in tree holes or depressions under rocks. Females usually lay three to eight creamy-colored eggs at one time and are usually solely responsible for the incubation of the eggs (which take about 26–28 days to hatch) and the nurture of fledglings, once they are born. The young are usually independent by six months the latest.
Mikado Pheasants have many of the adaptations of the other pheasants that prefer a life on the ground as opposed to in the air. They have powerful legs for scratching and digging for food but also allow them to run and outmaneuver predators. Their short, powerful wings are build for quick bursts of speed and gliding on slopes and through the understorey where they forage. For Mikados however, before running or flying, they utilize their ability to detect danger and prefer to slip away quietly into the brushes. Living at high altitude where oxygen availabilty can be an issue, Mikados have genes that are crucial for oxygen transport, haemoglobin binding and energy metabolism.
