Birds
Silver Pheasant
Lophura nycthemera · also called silver pheasants
Flashing a stark black underside against a silvery-white back as it moves through forest shadow, a silver pheasant carries a splash of bright red bare skin across its face, a bold combination that makes it one of the most visually striking pheasants of Southeast Asia.
Overview
The silver pheasant, Lophura nycthemera, is a strikingly patterned bird native to forest habitat across Southeast Asia and southern China. Its bold black-and-silver colour contrast, vivid red bare facial skin, and relative adaptability to forest disturbance compared with more sensitive pheasant relatives make it one of the more visually distinctive and ecologically resilient pheasant species found anywhere in Asia.
A contrast built for the forest shadow
The silver pheasant’s stark black-and-white pattern might seem conspicuous, but within the dappled light and shadow of forest understorey, this bold contrast can actually help break up the bird’s outline, a visual strategy quite different from the more uniformly camouflaged females.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread across suitable forest habitat throughout Southeast Asia and southern China.
Silver Pheasant: common questions
How did the silver pheasant get its name?
Males of this species have a stark black underside contrasting sharply with a silvery-white back and long, silvery-white tail feathers, a bold two-tone colour pattern that gives rise to the species' common name.
What is the red on a silver pheasant's face?
This species has bright red bare skin covering much of the face, a vivid splash of colour that contrasts strikingly against the black-and-silver plumage found elsewhere on the body, making the face one of the most eye-catching features of the bird.
Is the silver pheasant tolerant of habitat disturbance?
Relatively speaking, yes, since this species is considered adaptable within forest habitat, tolerating some degree of forest disturbance better than several more habitat-sensitive pheasant relatives, which has helped it remain widespread across its range.
Do male and female silver pheasants look the same?
No, males have a bold black-and-silver colour pattern with bright red facial skin, while females have plain, mottled brown plumage that provides effective camouflage while incubating eggs on the ground.