Identification:
The White-tailed Pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis) is similar to the Edwards’s Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi) with the primary difference being the presence of four central tail feathers that are pure white in both males and females. In captivity at the Hanoi Zoo, some male individuals have been observed with up to seven white central tail feathers.
Biology and Ecology:
The breeding season of the White-tailed Pheasant extends from February to July. Three fledglings were observed leaving the nest on June 6, 1987 (Trương Văn Lã). Four birds were observed leaving the nest in June 1994 in the area bordering the southern part of Hà Tĩnh Province (Kỳ Anh) and Quảng Bình Province (Tuyên Hoá), and a male specimen was collected near the Trung Thành hamlet in Kỳ Thượng commune (Kỳ Anh). Another male was also observed at the same location, roosting overnight on a small tree 5-6 meters high in the early morning (Nguyễn Cử, 1994).
White-tailed Pheasants, when kept at the Hanoi Zoo, lay and incubate eggs from February to April. Each clutch contains 5-7 oval eggs, wider at one end than the other, with a pale pink or brownish (cocoa) shell speckled with small white dots. The incubation period is 22-23 days (Đặng Gia Tùng, 1998).
Similar to other pheasant species, the White-tailed Pheasant consumes various fruits, seeds, leaves, and young shoots of several tree species found in forests. They also eat earthworms, small snails, and various insects. According to Đặng Gia Tùng (1998), White-tailed Pheasants kept at the Hanoi Zoo prefer to eat corn kernels, paddy, cooked rice, peanuts, ripe bananas, grapes, lettuce, green bean sprouts, and grasshoppers, earthworms, snails, and lean pork.
White-tailed Pheasants live in pairs or in small flocks of 3-5 individuals, and sometimes more, in the low hillsides and valleys near streams at altitudes of 50-200 meters. These areas have primary forests, secondary forests, or forests recovering from different degrees of exploitation, under mixed forest canopies (cọ trees, lá nón trees, rattan, bamboo, and sparse nứa). They can also be found in planted Manglitia glauca forests in the Cát Bịn area of Cẩm Xuyên district (Hà Tĩnh). Several other pheasant species, such as the Silver Pheasant, the White-crested Pheasant, the Red-vented Pheasant, the Yellow-crested Peacock-pheasant, the Grey-faced Partridge, and the Chestnut-necked Partridge, can also be found in the same habitats. They forage on the ground during the day and roost on tree branches at night.
Distribution:
- Within Vietnam: Hà Tĩnh (Hương Khê, Cẩm Xuyên, Kỳ Anh), Quảng Bình (Tuyên Hoá, Minh Hóa).
- Worldwide: Found only in Vietnam.
Value:
A rare and endemic species of Vietnam, with a limited distribution in the northern Central region. It possesses high scientific value.
Status:
The natural forests in its former distribution range have been heavily exploited, leading to the gradual loss and rapid shrinking of the majority of its habitat. Simultaneously, it is subject to the intense impacts of other human activities and is frequently hunted, causing a rapid decline in its population, placing it at serious risk. In 1994, ten White-tailed Pheasants were observed again in the area between Hà Tĩnh and Quảng Bình provinces for the first time in a long time.
Ranking:
EN B1 + 2b,c,d, e, C1 + 2a.
Conservation Measures:
It has been included in the Red Data Book of Vietnam (1992, 2000), the IUCN Red List (1996, 2000), Decree 18/HĐBT (1992), and Decree 48/ NĐ-CP (2002). The Asian Red Data Book (2001) and the list of wild animals and plants specified in the appendices of the CITES Convention also include it. The Kẻ Gỗ Nature Reserve was established in 1996 to effectively protect the White-tailed Pheasant. Strict prohibition of hunting in all areas where the White-tailed Pheasant lives is crucial. Further research on its current status and distribution is needed, along with promoting public awareness and education among the people living in the buffer zones of the Nature Reserve.