In poultry farming, not only varieties of domesticated birds are grown, but also some exotic wild species, for example, White-eared pheasants. These birds conquer with their beauty, grace and elegance. It is easy to recognize the pheasant by its bright snow-white plumage, which under good conditions does not lose its whiteness.
Description
He has a small head that looks disproportionate to the rest of the body. She has a black velvet cap on it. In the eye area, the skin without plumage is saturated red. The eyes are small, orange or dark yellow. The beak is bent, powerful pinkish. Feathers are not feathered, short, strong with spurs. In the tail there are 20 feathers that are painted black with a blue tint. It is less fluffy than other species.
Despite the name “eared”, the ears of this species are almost invisible. The wings are tightly pressed to the body, merge well with it. At the ends are brownish feathers.
Males and females cannot be distinguished by color, that is, they have no sexual dimorphism. It is considered unique among this family. But by size they cannot be distinguished.
Males are larger - the body length reaches 96 cm, the tail does not exceed 58 cm, the wingspan is on average 33-35 cm, and the weight is up to 2.75 kg. The length of the female is not more than 92 cm, her tail is 52 cm, the wingspan is a maximum of 33 cm, and the mass barely reaches 2 kg. In addition, females have darker colored feathers, and there are no spurs on their legs. In nature, representatives of a larger mass and size can be found.
Varieties
The species includes several subspecies of eared pheasants. All of them differ from each other by the color of their plumage and their habitat in nature:
- Sichuan Pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon crossoptilon) - This representative has a snow-white chin. The rest of the plumage has some shade. There are gray blotches in the wings, and in the tail the main gamut of feathers is brownish or dark gray. They live in the north-eastern region of India, the south-eastern part of Tibet and the north-western Chinese province.
- Crossoptilon crossoptilon lichiangense - the subspecies is very similar to the previous variety, but these pheasants live only in the central region of China. Their wings are painted in ashen color.
- Tibetan Pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon drouynii) - lives, as the name implies, in Tibet. It is either snow-white or grayish, but the wings are always covered with white feathers. In appearance, the Tibetan representative is similar to the Sichuan, but differs from the latter by a narrower and darker tail.
- Long-eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon dolani) - It is registered in Qinghai (Chinese province), which is distinguished by an ash-gray coloring of the body, but only white feathers are present on the stomach. The wings are painted in a light gray shade.
- Crossoptilon crossoptilon harmani - some ornithologists refer these birds to a subspecies of a white eared pheasant, others allocate in a separate look. They live in northern India or in the central region of Tibet.
Habitat
White pheasant is found in nature in Tibet, in western China and in some areas of India. He prefers to settle in mountain forests, at a sufficient height of up to 4600 m, but does not rise above the snow line. In the PRC, they can be found on the rocky steep banks of the Yangtze River in the thickets of dogrose, barberry, rhododendron, juniper and other shrubs.
Number
In nature, their livestock numbers from 10 thousand to 50 thousand, less mature individuals - from about 6.7 to 33 thousand. However, over the past decades, experts have noted a tendency to decrease in the population of white-eared pheasant, since their habitat is reduced due to destruction forests, and they are a welcome trophy for hunters.
This sacred bird is protected by Buddhists; they are often found in the courtyards of monasteries. And also territories with protected status have been created where they are found.
Behavior
Pheasants of this species are distinguished by a sedentary lifestyle. They don’t like to fly, even at the moment of danger they prefer to flee from the dog of a hunter or predator, overcoming long distances. However, it cannot be said that they fly poorly. On the contrary, the bird is distinguished by rapid flight, it can cover a large distance in a short period of time.
These birds love a society of their own kind, therefore they live in large groups. Almost all the time they spend in search of food, tearing stony ground with strong legs and no less powerful beak. They prefer to live in the zone of alpine meadows, where they find a large amount of food, namely the underground parts of plants. In the afternoon, birds rest near streams or water sources. The presence of water is also a fundamental factor in their distribution area.
In winter, white plumage, according to experts, is a disguise, the bird merges well with snow. Deep snow cover is not an obstacle for them. They can move on it with the help of wings and tail. Pheasants rely on wings spread across the snow and a wide open tail. Very intricate, interesting tracks remain in the snow.
When the thermometer goes below zero, the birds remain active and spend all their time searching for food. In winter, the “community” has up to 250 goals, in the warm season, usually no more than 30, and in spring, during mating, they live only in pairs.
Do they keep them in captivity?
Only two subspecies are grown in enclosures - Crossoptilon crossoptilon crossoptilon and Crossoptilon crossoptilon drouynii. These are hardy birds that are not afraid of severe frosts, but they tolerate very poor heat, sun and damp indoors.
Some of the most gullible birds that in captivity give in to training and have a calm disposition. They spend the whole day doing the same thing - digging worms in the garden. They are not inclined to fly from one place to another, therefore, in large areas they are fearlessly kept free.
Mating season and reproduction
In May, screams begin to sound in the forest early in the morning or late in the evening. If you go to them, you can see the following picture - the male screams around the females. For solidity, he inflates the brightly colored parts of the head, lowers his wings, and the tail, on the contrary, raises up. Most ornithologists are inclined to believe that pheasants are monogamous, since they lack sexual dimorphism, and mating “dances” are limited to a simple demonstration of the male’s beauty.
Their nests are located under a tree or rock directly on the ground. The female usually lays 6-9 eggs, with a frequency of 2-3 days. After about 24 days, chicks with eggs weighing about 40 g hatch from the eggs, but by the age of ten they increase to 85 g. Young growth is very fast growing, fifty-day-old individuals gain up to 600 grams. Females are 50 percent lighter than cocks
At 3.5 months, individuals can be distinguished by gender. At the cockerels the legs are covered with short thick fur, the length of which is not more than 5 mm. Chicks leave the nest as soon as they begin to walk.
White-eared pheasant is best bred in regions with a temperate climate. In hot and arid areas this bird does not take root.
In captivity, the behavior of birds is not so peaceful. Some males are often aggressive towards their relatives. Therefore, it is recommended to make more spacious enclosures for them and increase the number of shelters in which females could hide from the exuberant gentleman. Cutting off one’s wing helps to moderate the ardor of a male.
For breeding, only healthy birds are selected, which can be identified by the following signs:
- good weight and developed muscles;
- dry nostrils;
- bright eyes;
- shiny, clean, odorless feathers;
- straight fingers.
Females at home lose their maternal instincts, so you need to look for a brood hen - this role is well suited to the usual domestic jack or turkey.
Alternatively, use for incubating chickens. For incubation, low humidity of 45-50%, temperature 35 ° C is required. Eggs are harvested daily while they are being stored (the storage temperature should not exceed 10 ° C of heat) they must be turned over 2 times a day to avoid the birth of weak chicks. In incubation, eggs no older than 11 days are used. The older it is, the less likely it is that a chick will hatch from it.
All varieties of these birds can interbreed with each other and subsequently give offspring. Birds are ready for mating in their second year of life.
Conditions of detention
If you want to get some heads of this beautiful variety of pheasants, then be prepared not to save on the area of the walking area. It must be very spacious, it is recommended to use a plot of 18 square meters. m (4-5 goals). Inside, a dry tree is planted or shrubs are planted.
On the floor of the room where the birds live, an 8 cm thick layer of flooring is poured - river fine-grained sand, finely chopped straw, hay or aspen sawdust. Wood shavings of pine or cedar emit aromatic hydrocarbons - phenols and toxic acids. This can cause pheasants of various dermatitis, irritation of the digestive tract or an allergic reaction.
Aviaries must have a roof so that birds can hide under it from the rain, and the flooring remains dry. In damp, pheasants quickly fall ill and die. Usually an enclosure of 4 square meters. m is designed for one pair. Otherwise, in a cramped room, birds have a very bad habit of eating feathers from each other and pecking their paws. However, a shortage of vitamins and minerals in the poultry organism may also be the cause of this behavior. Therefore, year-round in a room at a height of 40 cm hang bunches of fresh herbs, root crops - turnips, carrots, beets.
What do eared pheasants eat?
Under natural conditions, white-eared pheasants are omnivores. They prefer plant foods - bulbs, tubers, roots, seeds, grains, leaves. In summer, their diet expands due to berries. They like to enjoy strawberries and cranberries.
Although they are vegetarians, they need protein during oviposition. The animal feed appears in the menu in the form of various insects, grasshoppers, snails, slugs, small lizards.
In autumn, the basis of the diet is juniper berries. In winter, they peck at the needles, wolf berries or juniper, dried flower seeds. Under adverse conditions, when the blizzard lasts a long time, they survive due to needles and litter-balls of animal deer, rabbits.
In captivity, such a diet is difficult to find. Therefore, experts recommend using this menu: 25% greens and 75% special feed, which is made from a mixture of grain crops. Or use corn-based mixtures with soy flour and beans, protein and vitamins.
In the winter, Canadian breeders introduced food containing 18% protein into the diet of their wards, and also gave apples, grapes and hard-boiled eggs.
During the breeding season, the proportion of proteins is increased by 25%. Birds in the public domain must necessarily have clean water, which must be regularly changed.
With a lack of protein food, pheasants are prone to cannibalism. To reduce the risk of diseases of a bacterial origin, drinkers are cleaned and washed daily.
Disease
Pheasants are hardy birds with a lifespan of 15-25 years. They are resistant to various diseases. However, they can become infected with diseases that affect poultry:
- botulism;
- Newcastle disease;
- avian tuberculosis;
- pasteurellosis or cholera.
Coccidiosis is the most common infectious invasive disease in domestic pheasants. It is caused by simple microorganisms. They enter the body of a bird along with infected food. The disease is an epidemic, that is, in a short time, almost the entire flock living in the same area is infected. More often it affects young individuals who have weaker immunity.
The main signs of the disease are:
- loose and foamy stools in which bloody clots are found;
- mucus is secreted from the beak;
- the bird is lethargic, thirsty and lack of appetite.
Also, pheasants are often infected with parasitic worms, so breeders recommend regular preventive measures against them, and observe parasitic control. If the parasites settled on the birds, then it is necessary to treat them with special preparations. For prevention, ash baths are installed for bathing.
The White-eared Pheasant is a curious and friendly bird. It is undemanding to the conditions of detention and completely unpretentious. Breeding it in captivity, it should be remembered that this is a representative of the wild nature and for its comfortable maintenance it is necessary to create conditions close to their habitat. Then they will give offspring, and delight with their beauty.