The Blood Pheasant will get its identify from the crimson-colored streaks on its physique – which apparently to some reasonably bizarre or overly imaginative individuals appear to be blood.
The Latin species identify cruentus, “blood-stained” has the identical background
Blood Pheasants primarily feed on mosses – not many chicken species do that as mosses will not be very nutritious. But it surely will get them a paper within the Journal of Bryology (bryology is the examine of mosses and liverworts – I can’t faux I knew this earlier than scripting this publish).
After I confirmed a photograph of the Blood Pheasant to a German hunter, he complained that this pheasant has “no tail”. And eBird calls it a “chunky partridgelike pheasant” – identical gist, I suppose.
In winter, Blood Pheasants kind flocks which might be comparatively harmonious inside however could combat with different flocks.
One paper recognized the variety of flocks of their analysis space “by tracing their tracks within the snow”. Very Cowboys and Indians.
What are their standards for choosing actual property? Apparently, they like positions decrease within the slopes, a bit additional away from water, with sparse and low shrubbery, and half-sunny, half-gloomy mild. Fairly selective. The paper describing this then daringly means that these preferences is likely to be associated to meals availability.
One of many threats to the Blood Pheasant comes from overgrazing by cattle. So, researchers regarded on the habitat use of Blood Pheasants as associated to the presence of livestock. To their shock, they discovered a optimistic correlation between the presence of blood pheasants and livestock within the breeding season, which they then kind of defined away by citing “related habitat preferences”.
Blood Pheasants are monogamous, they usually appear to have some kind of work-sharing association. Effectively, the feminine (proven beneath) does all of the incubation (supply) …
… whereas the male spends extra time watching out for potential risks throughout pre-incubation and incubation, permitting the feminine to spend extra time on feeding, preening, and dusting (supply).
Throughout incubation, the females usually depart the eggs as soon as per day for a length of about 7 hours (supply), throughout which the temperature of the eggs drops to beneath 10 levels Celsius for a couple of hours. This doesn’t appear to harm the event of the chicks.
And sure, there’s a paper on the entire mitochondrial genome of blood pheasant. Yawn.
To finish the publish, I like to recommend listening to “Blood Soup” by Yeah Yeah Noh. In all probability not containing Blood Pheasant blood, although. However an excerpt from “Practice to Kansas Metropolis”, a tune additionally coated by the Store Assistants. Or in the event you like Kansas Metropolis however dislike trains, you may take heed to “Kansas Metropolis” by Okkervil River. Or – in case your preferences go in the wrong way – select “Not in Kansas” by The Nationwide. This tune mentions R.E.M., so the final hyperlink right here is to “Oh My Coronary heart“.