Crossoptilon mantchuricum

The feathers on the top of the head of the brown pheasant are velvety, dark brown, and the neck is also dark brown. There is a not very obvious white narrow band behind the occipital. The forehead base is white with black tips, and the rear edge of the nostrils and ear feathers are white. The ear feathers are in bundles, extending backward and protruding above the head and neck, shaped like a pair of horns; the sides of the head are bare, red, and covered with small wart-like protrusions; the upper back and shoulders are brown and shiny, and the feather tips are scattered like hair; the lower back, waist, and tail coverts and tail feathers are silvery white, and the tail feathers are black with a metallic purple-blue luster. The outermost two pairs of tail feathers are complete and not scattered, and the 7 pairs of outer vane branches inward are all scattered like hair, long and slightly curved, and the inner vane and feather tips are still complete and not scattered; the two pairs of

The brown pheasant is a bird endemic to China and is endemic to northern central China. It is found in scattered areas of the Lüliang Mountains in Shanxi, the mountainous areas of northwestern Hebei, and western Beijing. It was also found in a small area in central China in 1998. In eastern Shaanxi (no less than 1,500 in Yichuan County, Huanglong County, and Hancheng County), this may represent an isolated population (He Finch 2012). Evidence from the Hebei Provincial Forestry Department in 2006 expanded the range of the known species, confirming that they also appeared in Laiyuan County and Laishui County.
It mainly inhabits forest areas dominated by Larix principis-rupprechtii, Picea spruce, and secondary forests, and secondary coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests of Larix principis-rupprechtii, Picea spruce, poplar, and birch. It is active in shrubs and grasses during the day and roosts on branches of large trees at night. It is active in the high mountains of 1000-1500 mete

Brown Eared-pheasant, with no subspecies, is a bird that inhabits mountain forests.

Brown Eared-pheasant is the most precious species of pheasant, and was called "鹖" in ancient times. "鹖" is recorded in "Qin Jing" as "鹖", a strong bird. "Yi does not know death." Cao Zhi, a poet of the Wei Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, wrote in the preface to his Fu: "As a bird, it is fierce and fierce. There is no winner in the fight, and it is destined to die." The word book "Zheng Zi Tong" written by Zhang Zilie in the late Ming Dynasty says: "鹖" is the name of a bird. It is yellow, black and brown in color, with hair and horns on its head and a crown. It loves its peers. If it is attacked, it will go to fight, even if it dies." Duan Yucai, a Qing Dynasty philologist, also wrote in "Shuowen Jiezi Zhu": "鹖" means a brave pheasant. When it fights, it will not stop until one of them dies. ". This is because during the annual breeding season, the male brown pheasants will fight fiercely for the females, and it is said that sometimes they will fight to the death. Therefore, since the Warring States Period, the emperors of all dynasties have used the tail feathers of the brown pheasant to decorate the hats and helmets of the generals, called "crowns", to encourage the soldiers to go straight to the fight, even if they die. This system continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, it was changed to blue feathers and flower feathers. The blue feathers were pure "鹖" feathers, and were worn by those of lower ranks; the flower feathers were "鹖" feathers on the outside and peacock feathers on the inside, and were worn by senior officials. The number of feather eyes was used to distinguish the officials.

Brown pheasants like to live in groups, are diurnal, like to bathe in the sand, are good at running, and are alert. They are resident birds. Brown pheasants are irritable, brave and good at fighting, and have the character of not avoiding danger even at the risk of death. In November, brown pheasants prepare for wintering. At this time, the cold resistance and resistance of the eggs are significantly increased, and they can adapt to the general environment and live independently. From December to the spring of the following year, in order to adapt to the more complex environment and defend against the invasion of foreign natural enemies, brown pheasants always carry out group activities.

Brown pheasants often move in groups, especially in winter, sometimes with more than 30 members. They mainly move on the ground, especially in clearings or grasslands at the edge of forests. They roost on pine or birch trees at night, and spend most of their daily activities foraging, only taking a rest and taking a "sand bath" at noon. Usually, their activity places and habitats are relatively fixed. After coming down from the trees at dawn, they often move towards the foraging grounds in irregular columns along a fixed route. When frightened, they run up the mountain, and only flap their wings and fly up when they reach the top of the ridge, and then glide to the valley or the opposite hillside.

Brown pheasants mainly feed on leaves, tender stems, young shoots, flower buds, berries, seeds and other plant foods of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, and also eat a small amount of animal food. There are more than 80 kinds of plants and 18 kinds of animal food they eat, among which the main foods are sea buckthorn, sedge, gentian, gray cotoneaster, wild garlic, bupleurum, plantain, yellow rose, prunus spinosa, large flower allium, wild pea, polygala, rice pocket, dandelion, violet, willow, wild head clover, etc. Foraging activities are mainly in the morning after coming down from the tree and in the evening before roosting in the tree. At noon, they mostly rest or take a sand bath in the bushes under the forest, and some rest on the branches of the tree. They usually forage in loose groups, or dig or peck at the ground with their mouths while walking, and also peck or jump to peck at berries or insects on low shrubs, and sometimes they also peck on the low branches of the tree.

Brown pheasants live a very regular life, usually mating and breeding in March in spring. During this period, male birds often fight to the death for mates. During this period, in order to show its majesty, the rooster's call is particularly heavy and loud, and it can be faintly heard from two kilometers away. When it calls, it raises its head and stretches its neck, and its tail feathers are also high, which is very beautiful. Then, the male and female follow, mate separately, and find a nesting area under the dense forest or between the bushes.

Around April, the brown pheasant will spread some dry grass and dead leaves in the nest, that is, nestle and lay eggs. The brown pheasant lays 4-17 eggs at a time, up to 19 eggs. The egg shell is gray-brown, 50.6 mm long, 42.1 mm in diameter, and weighs about 56.3 grams. In May, its eggs begin to hatch, and the incubation period is about 26 days. In June, chicks hatch and are fed by adults. In July, adults lead chicks to move around, escape the heat and molt. In August, chicks can forage independently. At this time, families begin to mix and form groups, gradually moving from high places to low places. In September, chicks are basically grown up, their mobility is enhanced, their wandering range is expanded, and the number of groups gradually increases, and they mostly live in groups.

Brown pheasants usually nest in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests at an altitude of 1800-2500 meters. Most of the nests are placed in the ground under the forest, under the dead branches or fallen trees, and some nest at the foot of rocks or next to tree stumps. The nest is very simple, mainly made of a concave place on the ground, with grass leaves, tree leaves, grass stems and feathers as the padding. The nest is bowl-shaped or long disc-shaped, with a size of 28.6 (23-33) cm × 32.7 (28-40) cm and a depth of 9.9 (8-14) cm. It is very territorial, usually each pair occupies a hillside, and the area of the territory that the male bird defends with all its strength is usually 0.7-1.3 hectares. For invading individuals of the same species, the male bird will try its best to drive them away, sometimes even fighting, until the intruder is driven away. Some individuals begin to lay eggs in early April, with 4-17 eggs per nest, mostly 6-9 eggs, and usually one egg is laid every 1-2 days. The eggs are oval, light ochre, duck egg blue or fish belly white, smooth and spotless. The size of the eggs is 59.9 (54.9-63.7) mm × 43.8 (42.7-46.8) mm and weighs 58.8 (54.8-63.4) grams according to the measurement of 362 eggs. The eggs are incubated as soon as they are laid. The female bird is responsible for incubation, and the male bird is active and vigilant near the nest. The incubation period is 26-27 days. The chicks are precocial and leave the nest the day after hatching to follow the parents.

In 1999, it was estimated that the global population of the brown pheasant was about 5,000-17,000, equivalent to about 3,300-11,000 mature individuals. The population in China is <C.100 pairs. According to field surveys, there are about 3,000 brown pheasants in Shanxi, 1,500 in Hebei, and about 500 in Dongling Mountain, Beijing. It is estimated that there are about 5,000 brown pheasants in China.

Since the distribution area of the brown pheasant has become a discontinuous island, the genes between the habitats are relatively closed, which is likely to lead to the degradation of the population's reproductive capacity, becoming another factor leading to the extinction of the brown pheasant. Although China has established some nature reserves mainly for the protection of brown pheasants, poaching and picking up bird eggs have not been eliminated. Since the brown pheasant inhabits a very low altitude and is closer to human living areas, human interference is more serious. China is in an era of rapid economic development, but how to protect the environment and wildlife while developing the economy, so that these rare treasures can be saved from extinction, is an important issue facing people.

The main reasons for the endangered status of the Brown Eared Pheasant are the high damage to its nests by natural enemies (up to 43.75%) and individuals preyed on by natural enemies; hunting for trade; there are sporadic populations outside the protected areas, and agricultural and urban encroachment is the main threat to it. Deforestation and grazing of livestock have led to habitat degradation; the increasing number of egg-eaters is a serious problem in the protected areas; biological characteristics within the species: (1) laying wild eggs and abandoning nests without hatching. (2) Unfertilized eggs account for 4.2%. The period from the hatching of the Brown Eared Pheasant chicks to the growth and development stage of the chicks, that is, from June to September, is the season of continuous rain and excessive rainfall. This high humidity and low temperature ecological environment will inevitably affect the chicks and chicks (the chicks and chicks are most afraid of dew), causing difficulty in foraging, malnutrition, increased mortality, and a corresponding decrease in the population.

Hunting brown pheasants for their tail feathers to decorate the helmets of military commanders was a serious problem in the history of Chinese feudal dynasties. In modern times, due to the high price of brown pheasant feathers as decorations in the European market, it has become a target of indiscriminate hunting. In the 1960s, more than 300 brown pheasants were killed in one month. In 1972, more than 200 brown pheasants were intercepted by customs when they were about to be exported from Tianjin Port. It was not until China promulgated the "Wildlife Protection Law" that this large-scale hunting of brown pheasants was curbed. However, poaching still occurs from time to time. In the spring of 1990, a villager in Hongshuikou Village, Qijiazhuang Township, Mentougou District, Beijing was punished according to law for hunting a brown pheasant in Dayumugou, Dongling Mountain near the village.

Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 ver3.1 - Vulnerable (VU).

Listed in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 edition.

Listed in China's National Key Protected Wildlife List (February 5, 2021) at level one.

Protect wildlife and eliminate game.

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