The blood pheasant or blood partridge is a galliforme bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae and the only species in the genus Ithaginis. It is a relatively small, short-tailed pheasant that is widespread in the lower Himalayas ranging across North and East India, Nepal, Bhutan, South China and northern Myanmar. It has been classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2009, and the global blood pheasant population is thought to be stable.
Region
Lower Himalayas and southwestern China
Typical Environment
Found from northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan through southern Tibet into southwestern China (Sichuan and Yunnan) and northern Myanmar. It favors cool, moist montane conifer and mixed forests with dense rhododendron and bamboo undergrowth. In summer it ascends to subalpine scrub and forest edges near the treeline, retreating to lower elevations in winter. The species prefers steep slopes, gullies, and thickets that offer cover from predators.
Altitude Range
1800–4700 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The blood pheasant is the only species in the genus Ithaginis and is named for the vivid red streaking on the plumage of males. It inhabits steep, high-elevation forests and scrub, often making short altitudinal movements with the seasons. Several subspecies are recognized across its wide Himalayan and Chinese range, differing subtly in color and pattern.
Female in Sikkim, India.
Temperament
social and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically forms small coveys, especially outside the breeding season. Pairs form in spring and nest on the ground under dense cover, lining shallow scrapes with vegetation. Clutches are moderate in size, and the female incubates while the male often remains nearby as a sentinel.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are sharp, piping whistles and thin, squealing notes used for contact within coveys. Alarm calls are abrupt and carry well through dense vegetation. Display calls are softer and more repeated during the breeding season.
Plumage
Males are gray to olive-gray with fine barring and striking crimson streaks on the breast, flanks, and tail coverts; females are browner and more cryptic with mottling and lighter underparts. Both sexes have dense, close-fitting plumage adapted to cold, and bare reddish facial skin.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of buds, shoots, leaves, seeds, and berries, often from rhododendron and bamboo. It also takes invertebrates such as insects and their larvae, especially in the breeding season. Birds scratch and probe in leaf litter and soft soil, occasionally picking from low shrubs.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the forest floor in dense undergrowth, forest edges, and subalpine scrub near the treeline. Frequently works along thickets, rocky slopes, and clearings where cover is close at hand.
