Silver Pheasants (Lophura nycthemera)

Abstract

T he Silver Pheasant is one of the best known and popular pheasant species in captivity and is well represented in captivity. Silver Pheasants have been kept as captive birds for many centuries and are also well represented in ancient Chinese art and poetry.

Range and Subspecies

Silver Pheasants are native to southern China, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia in a variety of habitats.

Jean Delacour describes 14 subspecies in Pheasants of the World, with the True Silver Pheasant Lopbura nycthemera nycthemera being the most commonly kept. The True Silver is the largest of the subspecies and is found in southeastern China. The other subspecies include the Lewis's Silver Pheasant L.n. lewisi, the Annamese Silver Pheasant L. n. annamensis, the Boloven Silver Pheasant L. n. engelbacbi, the Bel's Silver Pheasant L. n. beli, the Berlioz's Silver Pheasant L. n. berliiozi, the Ruby Mines Silver Pheasant L. .n. rufipes, the Rippon's Silver Pheasant L. n. ripponi, the Jones's Silver Pheasant L. n. jonesi, the Western Silver Pheasant L. n. occidentalis, the Lao Silver Pheasant L. n. beaulieui, the Fokien Silver Pheasant L. n. fokiensis, the Hainan Silver Pheasant L. n. whiteheadi, and the Szechwan Silver Pheasant L. n. omeiensis.

Of the mentioned subspecies, I can only find vague information on those kept in American aviculture. It is believed that most of the different subspecies which made it to America have interbred with the True Silver. I have seen breeder listings with jones's and Lewis's, hut I have no information on their status.

Hardy and Aggressive

Male Silvers have the reputation of being aggressive toward their keepers

and hens. I have had many males that I have had to ward off with a stick and on the other hand, our current Silver male is perfectly harmless.

Males can sometimes have very bad attitudes. It is tough to break them from being mean once they have started. My first breeder male would kill every hen placed with him, while another would spend his time picking fights through the mesh with other birds and attacking our legs! Their attitudes usually depend on the bird. I once had one male that would perform his wing-whirl display when I would clap my hands and would follow me around his enclosure looking for a hand-out.

They are big birds that are extremely tough and hardy. We once had an ice storm and had to go pull the Silvers off the roost to place them inside the shelter only to see them back outside again on the roost within an hour.

Description

The male True Silver has a long black crest, a black chin and throat, with a glossy bluish-black belly. The rest of the body is white, with many black lines. Their tails can be quite long, with the central feathers pure white. One of the most noticeable features are the bright red face wattles which are used during courtship. Silvers do not achieve their brilliant plumage until their second year.

First year males often have many black markings on the chest, while the rest of the body is mostly brown with light gray steaks.

Hens are a drab olive brown overall. There is much variation from hen to hen in the vermiculations of the belly and breast, and I have never seen two hens exactly alike. Hens have a much smaller and paler face wattle. The bill is gray and the feet are red. Immature females resemble adults but are often lighter and paler.