Wildlifeof Nepal
Blood Pheasant
Pheasants, Partridges & Quails
Photo: (c) Morten Ross, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Ithaginis cruentus
Basic stats
Diet
Moss, ferns, pine shoots and lichens
Habitat
Coniferous or mixed forest and scrub near the snowline
Range
Lower Himalayas: northern and eastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, southern China and northern Myanmar
Clutch size
4–14 eggs
Incubation period
27–33 days
Size
About 43cm
The blood pheasant is a relatively small, short-tailed pheasant about 43cm long, with a short, strong black bill and a small crest. The plumage above is dark ash with white shafts, and the lance-shaped breast and belly feathers are tipped green with crimson margins, looking like dashes of blood. It is the state bird of Sikkim (Wikipedia, general species account).
Blood pheasants live in the mountains of Nepal, Sikkim, northern Myanmar, Tibet and China, preferring coniferous or mixed forest and scrub near the snowline, and they move with the snow line while feeding on moss, ferns, pine shoots and lichens. Males court by leaping at each other breast to breast. The female lays four to fourteen eggs in a shallow nest, and the male defends the territory during the 27 to 33 days of incubation.
Quick answers
- What does the Blood Pheasant eat?
- Moss, ferns, pine shoots and lichens
- What habitat does the Blood Pheasant live in?
- Coniferous or mixed forest and scrub near the snowline
- Where is the Blood Pheasant found?
- Lower Himalayas: northern and eastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, southern China and northern Myanmar
- How many eggs does the Blood Pheasant lay?
- 4–14 eggs
- How long are the eggs of the Blood Pheasant incubated?
- 27–33 days
- How big is the Blood Pheasant?
- About 43cm