Blood partridge
The Blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) is small, short-tailed pheasant that is widespread in eastern Himalayas. The Blood pheasant is the state bird of Sikkim, a state in northeastern India.
The Blood pheasant has a short, convex, very strong black bill, feathered between bill and eye, and a small crest of variously colored feathers. The color of the plumage above is dark ash, with white shafts, the coverts of the wings various tinged with green, with broad strokes of white through the length of each feather, the feathers of the chin deep crimson; on the breast, belly, and sides, feathers are lance-shaped, of various length, the tips green with crimson margins, collectively resembling dashes of blood scattered on the breast and belly. The tail consists of 12 subequal feathers, shafts white, and rounded, the ends whitish, and the coverts a rich crimson red. Both males and females have red feet and a distinct ring of bare skin around the eye that typically is crimson-colored but is orange in a few subspecies. Females are more uniformly colored, being overall dull brown and often with some gray to the nape.
Blood pheasants live in the mountains of Nepal, Sikkim, northern Myanmar, Tibet, and central and south-central China. They prefer coniferous or mixed forests and scrub areas near the snowline. Blood pheasants are found at higher elevations during the summer and with snow increasing in fall and winter, they move to lower elevations.
Blood pheasants are very secretive birds that are difficult to observe in the wild. They are active during the daylight hours and usually move with the snow line when foraging. Blood pheasants live in pairs or family groups. During winter, many family groups join together in larger groups which remain together until the beginning of mating season.
Blood pheasants are herbivores (folivores). They eat moss, ferns, pine shoots, and lichens.
Blood pheasants are monogamous and form pairs. Their breeding season begins at the end of April when males begin displaying in front of females by flying at each other breast-to-breast, biting wattles, or performing high leaps with kicks toward the other’s bill. Females choose mates depending on factors like tail length, length of the ear tufts, and the presence of black points in the wattle, but neither wattle size nor color nor the brightness of the plumage affect the females' choice. In early May, mature females begin nesting under paddy straw heaps surrounded by trees, in brush, small caves, or in tree holes near the ground. They excavate shallow pot-like nests and line them with moss, pine needles, and feathers. The female lays 4-14 yellowish-white eggs with brown speckles, at intervals of 2 or 3 days. During the 27-33 days of egg incubation, the male defends the territory against other male pheasants. Both parents feed and protect newly hatched chicks. Young Blood pheasants become reproductively mature and start to breed when they are one year old.
Blood pheasants are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal hunting, and human disturbance. Much of the distribution range of pheasants in Southwest China overlaps with the habitat of the giant panda, and livestock grazing has become the most prevalent human disturbance across associated protection areas. The ground-nesting habits and relatively long incubation period of Blood pheasants make these birds especially vulnerable to trampling and habitat degradation by grazers.
According to the IUCN Red List, the Blood pheasant is common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
