Chinese Monal Pheasant displaying: A unique photograph?

            I don't normally post photos from foreign trips seven months later but I have discovered a noise reduction software which has revitalised photos that I considered were unusable.  You might think that this displaying male Chinese Monal Pheasant is not worth uploading but there is nothing like it at all on Flickr. In fact I tried a Google search and couldn't find anything like it on the whole internet.  There weren't even that many photos of this species taken in the wild, though quite a few in zoos. My reference book "Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse" by Madge and McGowan states "Mating system unknown and very little information on breeding in the wild is available".  So here is my account.  We arrived at the site on Balang Mountain before first light, and as the sky began to brighten, males started to fly in and call, a repeated almost peacock-like wail.  One male landed on the road and fully spread his wings and tail creating a broad semi-circle, then he leapt in the air then bowed forward raising his tail at the back, but keeping the plane of his wings and tail rather flat. Then he rocked backwards and forwards like a see-saw pivoted on his legs. It was almost like a huge dinner plate rocking backwards then forwards by about 40 ° about once every second.  This photo was taken during one of its leaps between rocks. His underparts are velvety black but his neck is shining copper and the rest of the upperparts are an iridescent blue, contrasting with a white back.  You can just see some of the blue iridescence on his wing edges.  We had to stop a speeding car that could well have hit this rare pheasant and we got a mouthful of angry abuse for our trouble.  Never mind, at least the Monal survived.

As you have probably gathered, Chinese Monal is a rare and little known pheasant that is restricted to forest edge habitats in Central China at high altitudes (3-5000m).   Its scientific name is Lophophorus lhuysii.  Lophophorus means crest-bearing, and lhuysii commemorates the French diplomat and statesman Edouard Drouyn de L'Huys (1805-1881).

Taken on: November 22, 2019

Tags:

Lophophorus

lhuysii

Monal

Pheasant

Sichuan

China

male

display

displaying

Tim Melling « less

Sets appears in: • China 2019

Stats: 6,003 views / 17 comments

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