Pheasants (មាន់ទោ) are magnificent birds that are very notable for their sexual dimorphism. In all pheasant species, males are very bright and colorful with long tails and wattles as well as a larger size. As for Cambodia, we only have 3 pheasant species but things are a bit confusing with the local name. The word for pheasant is also the same word for turkey; however, the appearance is definitely different. Let’s have a look at our 3 pheasant species in Cambodia below and let me know what you think.
Germain’s Peacock Pheasant (មាន់ទោប្រផេះបៃតង)
This pheasant is medium-sized, growing to around 60 centimeters long from head to tail. While most pheasant species are brightly colored, this one is rather on the dark side. It has a dark brownish color with bare red facial skin and spotted buff, and its tail has 20 feathers. Both sexes look similar to each other but females are smaller and only have 18 tail feathers. The most beautiful part of this bird is the purplish-blue ocelli on their upper body plumage and half of their tails. Despite being less colorful than their relatives, they still look beautiful in their own ways.
Germain’s peacock pheasant is a pheasant species that is endemic to Indochina, living in Cambodia and Vietnam. They inhabit humid forests, jungles, lowland forests, and seasonal tropical forests, and their population is not doing well. These pheasants are considered Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. The main threats to their number are hunting (especially snaring) and rapid conversion of suitable habitat to agriculture.
Gray Peacock Pheasant (មាន់ទោប្រផេះ)
Not the most colorful and yet still so gorgeous, the gray peacock pheasant is one of a kind. It is one of the largest Asian pheasant species, growing up to 76 centimeters long from head to tail. Just like the name suggests, a gray peacock pheasant has a grayish-brown color. However, the most eye-catching feature is the finely iridescent blue-green ocelli on their tail feathers and wings. Males have long pointy tail feathers that are typically longer than the rest of their bodies. Females do not have that, their tails are more rounded and shorter.
The distribution of these birds is in Bangladesh, Northeast India, and Southeast Asia but excluding most of Indochina. These elusive and shy birds live in hill and lowland forests where they feed on fruits, invertebrates, seeds, and termites. Being the national bird of Myanmar, this bird also goes by the name Burmese peacock pheasant. The good thing is that their population is doing well in the wild, and they are classified as Least Concern.
Silver Pheasant (មាន់ទោប្រាក់)
Silver pheasants are large pheasant species that have a total length of 120 to 125 centimeters, including the 75 centimeters tail. Clearly the brightest one on the list, silver pheasants are super gorgeous to look at. However, the black and white coloration is only among males as the females are mainly brown, and the males are larger. Males have white upperparts and tails with glossy bluish-black crest and underparts. What both sexes have in common is the bare red face and red legs.
This pheasant species has a wide range across China and Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Within the range, they live in bamboo forests, deciduous forests, evergreen forests, and grasslands. In those habitats, they feed on insects, invertebrates, plants, and seeds. Silver pheasants are notable for the males’ wings fluttering display during the breeding season that can be heard from a distance.
Fun Fact: Silver pheasants are very common in Chinese art and poetry, and they have been referred to as the White Phoenix.
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