Copper pheasant
| Copper pheasant | |
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S. soemmerringii
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| Syrmaticus soemmerringii (Temminck, 1830)
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The copper pheasant or Soemmerring's pheasant (Syrmaticus soemmerringii) is endemic to Japan. The scientific name commemorates the German scientist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring.
Description
It is a large pheasant with a rich coppery chestnut plumage, yellowish bill, brown iris and red facial skin. The female is a brown bird with greyish brown upperparts and buff barred dark brown below. The male has short spur on its grey legs, none in female. He measures up to 87.5–136 cm (34.5–54 in) long including the tail while the female measures up to 51–54 cm (20–21 in) (subspecies scintillating copper pheasant, scintillans) including the tail.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The copper pheasant is distributed and endemic to the hill and mountain forests of Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku islands of Japan, where it is known as yamadori (山鳥?). The diet consists mainly of insects, arthropods, roots, leaves and grains. Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and overhunting in some areas, the copper pheasant is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Cultural mentions
The copper pheasant appears in Japanese poetry as far back as poetry composed by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro in the early 8th century, as compiled in the Hyakunin Isshu:[3]
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Ashibiki no yamadori no wo no shidari-wo no naga-nagashi yo wo hitori ka mo nemu Must I sleep alone through the long autumn nights, long like the dragging tail of the mountain pheasant separated from his dove?
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Syrmaticus soemmerringii. |
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Handbook of the Birds of the World Volume 2 Lynx Edicions Barcelona
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
