Copper Pheasant

     The Copper Pheasant, also known as the Soemmerring’s Pheasant, is a species of the Pheasant family endemic to Japan. This striking species of long-tailed pheasants is named for the metallic, coppery-red plumage of the male. The other name was given to the bird to commemorate the German scientist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring.

     The adult male Copper pheasant has a rich coppery chestnut plumage, yellowish-horn bill, grey legs, and red facial skin. While the female birds are less ornate, with a chestnut-brown plumage which is vermiculated with buff and black. The female Copper pheasant also possesses bold dark markings on her wings, and she has a shorter tail.

     There are 4 subspecies for the Copper pheasant that are distributed across the bird’s finding range. The breeding season starts in March in the south of its finding range, and in April to May in the north. The male Copper pheasant lays 6 to 13 (typically 7) eggs into a nest on the ground. Then she incubates them for around 24 to 25 days.