Summary

The Golden Pheasant, or Chinese Pheasant, is native to mountain forests in west China. It has been introduced into may other countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

Male Golden Pheasant have red bodies, distinctive gold crests and an orange and black striped fan of feathers around the face. In contrast, females are mottled brown. The scientific name of this species is inspired by the dramatically coloured plumage of the males; the genus name Chrysolophus is from the ancient Greek for "golden crested" and the species name pictus comes from the Latin "painted".

This male specimen was bred in an aviary in Geelong and was donated to the Museum in 1921 after its death at St Kilda.

As Golden Pheasant are common in suitable habitat and populations appear stable the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers them to be of Least Concern.

Specimen Details

Taxonomy

Geospatial Information

  • Precise Location

    Captive, aviary