Edward’s Pheasants – Ringo & Tammy

Description

FUN FACTS ABOUT RINGO & TAMMY

• Ringo and Tammy arrived at World Bird Sanctuary in 2019 as a new pair.
• They quickly took to each other, but took much longer to warm up to their keepers and new surroundings. Their favorite places to sit were in their hide boxes, and were very shy around guests.
• During the closure in 2020 with no crowds the two started to steadily gain more confidence and spend more and more time outside their hides. When we reopened, the confidence stayed and they are often now seen moving about their exhibit!
• Being a critically endangered species, we were overjoyed at the immense success the pair had during their first breeding season and their offspring will be some of the first to be part of a reintroduction back into the wild program in Vietnam!

SPECIES FACTS

Scientific Name:

• Lophura edwardsi.

Distribution:

• Central Vietnam.

Habitat:

• Level or gently sloping terrain with lowland evergreen forests, with well developed understory of palms and rattan, and bamboo scattered throughout. Typically inhabit areas with dense undergrowth, heavy rainfall, and high humidity.

Diet:

• Seeds, grains, vegetation, and worms.

Behavior:

• Alarm call sounds like “puk-puk-puk.”
• Breeding usually occurs in the second year of life for females and sometimes into the third year with males. Season occurs in May, where the female will lay 4-7 creamy to pinkish-brown eggs. Incubation of eggs is usually around 21-22 days. Chicks are dark brown, chestnut, and buff colored.

Identification:

• Males have black body feathers with a glossy blue sheen; white crest; metallic green fringes on upper wing feathers; tail length is around 9-10 inches.
• Females have brown feathers; length of tail is around 7-8 inches.
• Body length for both males and females is around 23-26 inches; have red face and legs; pale greenish-white bill with black base; irises are reddish brown.