The brown eared pheasant is a large, 96– to 100-cm-long, dark brown pheasant endemic to the mountain forests of northeastern China. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863. It has stiff white ear coverts behind the eyes, which look like a moustache. The crown is black with red bare facial skin and its tail of 22 elongated, white feathers is curved, loose and dark-tipped. Both sexes are similar in plumage.
Region
Northern China
Typical Environment
Endemic to mountainous forests of north and northeast China, with strongholds in Shanxi and local populations in Hebei and Shaanxi. It inhabits mixed conifer–broadleaf and oak woodlands with dense understory and rocky slopes. Birds use forest edges, thickets, and regenerating clearings for foraging, retreating to steeper, more secluded cover when disturbed. Winter ranges contract to lower, south-facing slopes where food is accessible beneath snow. Fragmentation has left populations patchy and often isolated by unsuitable lowland habitat.
Altitude Range
800–2600 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
This striking pheasant is famed for its stiff white ear coverts that droop moustache-like behind the face and its long, loose, white tail feathers with dark tips. It prefers to run uphill rather than take prolonged flight, bursting into short, noisy flights only when pressed. The species is a conservation flagship for montane forests of northern China, where habitat loss and past hunting have reduced its range. Protected reserves in Shanxi, Hebei, and Shaanxi hold the core populations.
Crossoptilon mantchuricum
Temperament
wary but moderately gregarious
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides; prefers running
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it forms small family groups or loose flocks that forage together along ridgelines and forest edges. Pairs establish territories in spring, with ground nests concealed in dense shrubs or at the base of rocks. Clutches are moderate in size, and both adults are attentive, leading chicks to feeding grounds soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls are loud, hoarse, barking notes and resonant cackles that carry across valleys, especially at dawn and dusk. Alarm calls are sharp and repeated, often triggering group movement uphill into cover. Display calls during breeding are more rhythmic and emphatic.
