Edwards's Pheasant

The Edwards's Pheasant, Lophura edwardsi, is a bird from the pheasant family Phasianidae that is endemic to the rainforests of Vietnam.

It is a 58-67 cm long with red legs and facial skin. The male is a mainly blue-black bird with a crest, and the female is a drab brown bird. The alarm call is a puk-puk-puk.

This species has two races. The nominate form L. e. edwardsi has a white crest and upper tail, whereas the northern L. e. hatinhensis lacks any white plumage. The latter form is sometimes split as the Vietnamese Pheasant, Lophura hatinhensis (Vo Quy, 1975).

Both forms of Edward's Pheasant are currently listed as endangered species, having suffered from deforestation, hunting and the use of defoliants during the Vietnam War.

This species is currently believed to number between 1000-3000 birds in the wild, mostly of the nominate form, but it is doing well in capivity, where it is the subject of ex-situ conservation.

This bird is named after the French ornithologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards.

References

• Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse by Madge and McGowan, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0