When courting a mate, I prefer to cover my face halfway. I am the "phoenix on earth".

Galliformes is a relatively primitive group of birds, usually with short and round wings, not good at flying, but good at walking. There are 7 families and 285 species of Galliformes birds in the world, and China has only one family (Phasianidae) with 63 species , accounting for about one-fifth, making it the country with the richest wild pheasant resources in the world . Among them, there are 22 endemic species, such as the yellow-bellied tragopan (Tragopan caboti), the white-crowned long-tailed pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) and the brown pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum).

A male yellow-bellied tragopan courting a mate, spreading its brightly colored dewlap under its neck. A, Ocram / Wikimedia Commons

Galliformes has a very close relationship with humans . According to records, about 8,000 years ago, the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) was domesticated as poultry and is the ancestor of the domestic chicken. Wild pheasants were also the main prey of early humans. Under the advocacy and promotion of Mr. Zheng Zuoxin, an older generation of ornithologists, the research on Galliformes in China has achieved many excellent results. It is also the most widely studied group in Chinese ornithology, which is of great significance to the protection of birds in China.

The dazzling golden pheasant

The Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) belongs to the Phasianidae family of the order Galliformes. It is also endemic to China. It is mainly distributed in the southwest region of China, with the Qinling Mountains in Gansu and southern Shaanxi as the core, including Shaanxi, Henan, Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and other places, with an altitude of 500~2500 meters.

The Golden Pheasant is of medium length, about 60 to 100 cm. The male bird has a golden crest on its head, and its back and waist are bright yellow, as dazzling as gold. Its abdomen and chest are bright red . It walks and jumps flexibly, with an elegant posture, like a dancing flame. Therefore, the Chinese people give it the real name of " Golden Rooster ", and its English name is Golden Pheasant.

“Am I handsome?” | Pixabay

In contrast, the female is duller, tan in color with black markings throughout.

Unique courtship dance

The Golden Pheasant's mating system is one male and multiple females . After the breeding season begins in spring, the male bird will occupy a territory of its own. In order to defend the territory, male birds often fight with each other. During the fight, the feathers on the male bird's neck puff up, and the two birds circle back and forth, pecking each other's heads.

"Beauty, do you like to half-cover your face?" The male golden pheasant spreads its shawl feathers to cover its face丨Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / naturepl.com

After establishing its own territory, the Golden Pheasant will attract females with its high-pitched and hoarse calls. Once it encounters a female, the male will begin a very colorful courtship dance . The yellow fleshy wattles under the male's eyes swell with blood, the colorful shawl feathers open like a fan , and the tail feathers spread out like a peacock's tail. The male bird strides forward and shows off in courtship. The male bird circles around the female bird in courtship, and turns one side of its body toward the female , presenting its most beautiful parts to the female, performing various displays and showing off. The male bird's beautiful dance can last up to dozens of minutes, and sometimes you can see several male birds courting and showing off to the female, which is a very exciting performance.

The courtship dance of the Golden Pheasant. The male keeps chasing the female and insists on showing her his bright feathers. | amysloot / youtube

But the male Golden Pheasant is not a "model husband" in the strict sense. After successful mating, the tasks of laying eggs, hatching and raising offspring will all be done by the hardworking female Golden Pheasant alone.

The Golden Pheasant usually lays 5 to 7 eggs, which are precocial chicks . When the chicks hatch, they are already covered with feathers. The female bird waits in the nest for 1 to 2 days until all the chicks are hatched and their feathers are dry. Then the mother can take the "cubs" everywhere. The body color of the female bird and the chicks is very similar to the environment, which is a very good protective color , which is conducive to the survival of the female bird and the offspring.

Low-key female golden pheasant | David Castor / Wikimedia Commons

An unexpected love

There is another species of golden pheasant belonging to the same genus as the red-bellied pheasant, called the white-bellied pheasant (C. amherstiae). The two species can hybridize to produce offspring. Hybridization is common in captivity, but natural hybridization is rarely found. In 2016, researchers used an infrared camera to photograph a strange male golden pheasant in the wild. The feather color of the adult male of the red-bellied pheasant and the white-bellied pheasant was determined to be the natural hybrid offspring of the two species of golden pheasants.

White-bellied Pheasant with asexual color matching丨Pixabay

The pheasant in the painting "Hibiscus and Golden Pheasant " now in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing is also a hybrid pheasant. Its golden feathers on the top of its head and red feathers on its belly are the characteristics of the red-bellied pheasant, while the white feathers on its neck are the characteristics of the white-bellied pheasant. The author of this painting is Emperor Huizong of Song , Zhao Ji, and the creation date points to the Xuanhe period (1119-1125), which shows that the hybridization of golden pheasants has been discovered by people a long time ago.

The hybrid golden pheasant in the painting "Hibiscus and Golden Pheasant" and the real hybrid golden pheasant. 丨Peng et al., 2016

In the 18th century, Europeans were attracted by the gorgeousness of the golden pheasant, so many private estates in Europe raised and bred golden pheasants. The bird was also introduced into zoos around the world as an ornamental bird . Some individuals were released into the wild in Europe, but due to the selection pressure of nature, only the western part of Scotland in the UK escaped to the wild and survived independently.

The Phoenix Prototype in Crisis

In China, people will definitely feel very close to the phoenix when talking about it. The emperor regarded himself as the true dragon and the emperor, and the phoenix was the symbol of the empress and concubines. The dragon and the phoenix represent auspiciousness. According to legend, one of the prototypes of the phoenix is ​​the red-bellied pheasant, which is a symbol of nobility and elegance. In ancient China, the red-bellied pheasant was also an important symbol of status. The second-rank civil servants in the Qing Dynasty had the golden pheasant as a decorative pattern on their clothes, which shows their prominent status.

Golden pheasant pattern on civil servants’ clothing | Denver Art Museum / Wikimedia Commons

The Miao people in China also have the tradition of dancing the Golden Pheasant Dance . Beautiful Miao women, dressed in gorgeous costumes, dance like beautiful golden pheasants. It is said that when the Miao ancestors first opened fields and hunted to make a living, the golden pheasants brought them millet seeds, which helped people survive the famine. In order to thank the golden pheasants, the Miao people imitated the golden pheasants and created the Golden Pheasant Dance.

In 2001, the 21st World University Games was held in Beijing. The guide signs needed to be decorated with the image of the national bird. On the guide signs of China, the beautiful golden pheasant attended as the " alternative national bird ". The name of the golden pheasant is homophonic to "a bright future, happiness and good fortune", expressing the enthusiasm and blessings of the Chinese people. China has not yet determined its national bird, and the golden pheasant should be a very strong competitor. In addition, the emblem of the Chinese Ornithological Society is also painted with the golden pheasant.

China Ornithological Society logo丨www.chinabird.org

The golden pheasant has brightly colored feathers, and people use them as raw materials for various crafts and decorations. The hunting of golden pheasants is very serious. The number of golden pheasants once declined, and they were listed as Class II protected birds in China .

Author: Yao Hongyan, Uncle Xiaoye, Frost Moth

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)