The copper pheasant, also known as Soemmerring's pheasant or yamadori (ヤマドリ), is a pheasant endemic to the Japanese archipelago. The scientific name commemorates the German scientist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring. It is the official bird of multiple Japanese prefectures, cities, and towns. It was commonly hunted for sport throughout the 20th century.
Region
Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu)
Typical Environment
Occupies dense temperate forests, including mixed deciduous and evergreen broadleaf woodlands with thick understory. Common in bamboo thickets, forest edges, and secondary growth where cover is abundant. Often uses steep, mountainous terrain and ravines with leaf litter for foraging. It may occur near forest–farmland mosaics but generally avoids open areas. Ground-dwelling and secretive, it relies on cover to evade predators.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called Soemmerring's pheasant or yamadori, it is endemic to Japan and commemorates the German scientist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring. The male’s extraordinarily long, barred tail can exceed half its total length and is used in display. It has been a traditional game species and is the official bird of multiple Japanese prefectures, cities, and towns.
Illustration from John Gould's Birds of Asia
Juvenile Syrmaticus soemmerringii ssp. subrufus
1791 woodblock of a copper pheasant by Kitagawa Utamaro.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, with small family groups after hatching. Nests are shallow scrapes on the ground concealed under shrubs or bamboo. Breeding occurs in spring; the female incubates and leads the brood while the male remains nearby.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include harsh, crowing calls and sharp clucks, often delivered from cover. Males also produce wing-whirring displays during the breeding season.
Plumage
Male with lustrous coppery-chestnut plumage finely barred and vermiculated with black, and a very long, strongly barred tail; female cryptically mottled brown with fine barring for camouflage.
Diet
Forages on seeds, grains, buds, and leaves, complemented by berries and fallen mast such as acorns and nuts. Takes a variety of invertebrates, including insects, grubs, and small snails, especially in the breeding season. Scratches through leaf litter to uncover food and will nip tender shoots and bamboo sprouts.
Preferred Environment
Primarily feeds on the forest floor under dense understory and bamboo. Frequently uses edges of trails, forest clearings, and the fringe of cultivated fields adjacent to woodland.
