Vietnamese Pheasant

     The Vietnamese Pheasant is a bird in the Pheasant family endemic to central Vietnam. Perhaps, it’s the most recent discovered pheasant species as it was described for the first time in 1965. The Vietnamese Pheasant is strongly related to the Edward’s Pheasant which it closely resembles. It was once believed to be one of its subspecies too.

     The male Vietnamese pheasant is a stunning bird with his shiny black plumage. He boosts dark blue tones and metallic blue-edged feathers on his body, in addition to having metallic green fringes to the upper wings. The male Vietnamese pheasant also has elongated central tail feathers and a short, shaggy white crest. The female is comparatively drabber in color, with a rather plain, greyish-brown plumage and a blackish tail. Both sexes of the Vietnamese pheasant have striking red-colored facial skin and legs.

     The breeding season usually begins at the end of February and continues through to April. The female Vietnamese pheasant is capable of producing fertile offspring from as young as two years. She lays between five and seven eggs which she incubates for 21 – 22 days.