IUCN Red List status: Critically Endangered
For more info on classifications, visit www.iucnredlist.org
Factfile
Where they live
Central Vietnam
Habitat
Secondary lowland forest
Size
60-65cm in length
Weight
80g 1kg
Lifespan
Threats
There are estimated to be fewer than 2,500 wild pheasants left in a small area of forest which was not only devastated by the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War but are subject to destruction by commercial logging or the conversion to paddy fields.
Did you know...
- The Vietnamese pheasant was not officially named until 1975 and given a scientific name so that it could be included in IUCN Red Data list
More about Wild Vietnamese pheasants...
Also known as the Vietnamese fireback pheasant or Vo Quys pheasant, the Vietnamese pheasant was discovered in 1964 and is thought to be the rarest pheasant in zoos.
Males are dark blue with green feathers on their wings, while females are dark brown with red legs and faces, as can be see in the image below.
Wild Vietnamese pheasants are found only in a tiny region in central Vietnam where they live in secondary lowland forest. Little is know about their life in the wild but they are known to eat grain, seeds, plants and insects
During the breeding season the male displays to females by raising his crest, fluffing up his plumage on his back and beating his wings very rapidly. The female lays her eggs in a nest which consists of a simple scrape in the ground.
