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  Profile

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  In flight

Game Birds

Swinhoe’s Pheasant

Lophura swinhoii

• epic
• 44 km/h
• Near Threatened

Endemic to Taiwan. The male shimmers iridescent blue-green with a white back. Near Threatened and irreplaceable.

Population

Over 10,000 mature individuals (global, declining)

Habitat

Primary broadleaf and mixed broadleaf-conifer mountain forest with dense understory, roughly 800 m up to about 2,300 m elevation

Fun fact

Named for 19th-century British naturalist Robert Swinhoe, the male's glossy blue, white, and red plumage echoes the colors of Taiwan's flag, making the species an unofficial national symbol alongside the Mikado pheasant and Taiwan blue magpie.

Range

Endemic to the mountains of central Taiwan

Diet

Omnivorous — seeds, berries and fruits, shoots, and invertebrates and other small animal matter

Size

0.79 m

Lifespan

15 years