Elliot's Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti Scientific name definitions

Male c. 80 cm (tail 39–47 cm) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), 1044–1317 g; female c. 50 cm (tail 17–19·5 cm), 726–1090 g. Whitish-grey (male) or fulvous-grey (female) hood diagnostic. Male has short spur which is lacking in female (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Female also differs from those of other Syrmaticus in black throat; range overlaps with that of larger S. reevesii, although the two species might not occur in same habitats (2 Rank, M. (1995). New site found for Elliot's Pheasant. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 21: 15. Close ), and differs from female Phasianus colchicus in being less buffy brown, with contrasting whitish belly and dusky face and throat, and P. colchicus is rarely found inside dense forest, unlike present species. Irides orange to brown (dullest in female), facial skin red , bill yellowish horn, and legs grey (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile duller than female, with white throat; males show barred tail from early stage.

Evergreen broadleaved forest (Lithocarpus, Cyclobalanopsis, etc.), mixed evergreen broadleaf and coniferous forest, and pure coniferous forest, as well as bamboo-dominated areas (3 Komar, O., Benz, B.W. and Chen Guojun (2004). Notes on Elliot’s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis and Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus from Hunan, China. Forktail 20: 136-138. Close ), between 200 m and 1900 m.

Believed to be sedentary; genetic evidence suggests that males disperse further than females from natal areas (4 Lin, F., Jiang, P. and Ding, P. (2011). Genetic evidence for male-biased dispersal in Elliot’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus ellioti) in China. Chinese Birds. 2(2): 72–78. Close ).

Reported to feed on seed pods, seeds, berries and leaves of various species; a few ants constitute the only animal material known. Most foraging is in morning and late afternoon, usually in small groups of 3–4 birds (presumed to be families) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Presumably also scratches at ground and digs in manner of S. reevesii (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Displaying male wing-whirrs (relatively quietly though audible at some distance) followed by repeated, low-pitched “ge-ge-ge-ge-ge-ge”, usually in morning or early afternoon; both sexes also give shrill squealing call in alarm, and various low clucking notes (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

In W Zhejiang, laying from mid Mar to late May. Display (e.g. wing-whirring) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) performed in early morning and early afternoon. Mating system unclear. Nest is simple scrape (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); 24 cm long, 19 cm wide. Typically lays 5–8 creamy to rosy-white eggs (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); incubation 25–26 days (in captivity) by female alone (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); chicks  have rufous-chestnut down above, greyish white below, with rufous upper breast.

Not globally threatened. Mace Lande: vulnerable. CITES I. Currently considered Near Threatened. Occurs in areas of SE China with dense human population, but recently found to occur further W than previously thought and to be locally common; population probably in excess of 100,000 individuals; a 2001 survey in protected area in Jiangxi estimated an increasing population of 3800–5800 birds in this one area alone (5 Chen, L.-S., Wu, H.-P., Yu, Z.-P., Chen, L. and Zuo, W.-B. (2004). Population census for White-necked Long-tailed Pheasant in Guanshan Nature Reserve, Jiangxi, China. Chinese J. Zool.. 39(5): 48–50. Close ). Whilst no solid information available on abundance, species believed to survive in good numbers at some localities; e.g., a 2004 survey estimated population density in Guanshan Nature Reserve, Jiangxi, to be 0·063 individuals/ha, but other reports, including from same area, suggest it occurs at densities of up to c. 6 individuals/km². Known to occur in two natural reserves (Jinggan Shan and Leigong Shan (2 Rank, M. (1995). New site found for Elliot's Pheasant. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 21: 15. Close ), both in Guizhou) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and in several other small reserves (e.g. Da Wei Shan and Shun Huang Shan, Hunan (3 Komar, O., Benz, B.W. and Chen Guojun (2004). Notes on Elliot’s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis and Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus from Hunan, China. Forktail 20: 136-138. Close ), and Gutian Shan Nature Reserve, Zhejiang, where population c. 500–600 individuals) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); occurs in Fujian Mountains Endemic Bird Area. Deforestation already considered to have taken a considerable toll on species’ habitat, and this continues, together with subsequent conversion of land to agriculture; additional pressure from hunting and trapping, even within protected areas (2 Rank, M. (1995). New site found for Elliot's Pheasant. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 21: 15. Close ). Designation of more protected areas needed, and species should be monitored in these areas; reserves should be managed as network.