GOLDEN PHEASANT

Smaller than the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) the adult male golden pheasant has predominantly red underparts with a long golden crest tipped red and gold rump. The face is a light buff and the bill, pale yellow. The eyes are a very pale yellow to white. Extending from beneath the back of the crest across the mantle is an orange and indigo barred cape otherwise known as a ruff. The upper back area is a bottle green and the tail, which accounts for almost two thirds of the total length of the bird, is a golden brown with dark mottling.