Mrs. Hume's pheasant, also known as Hume's pheasant or the bar-tailed pheasant, is a large forest pheasant. It is the state bird of the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur. The name commemorates Mary Ann Grindall Hume, wife of the British naturalist Allan Octavian Hume, one of the key founders of the Indian National Congress.
Region
Indo-Burma and southern China
Typical Environment
Found in the hill forests of northeast India (Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland), northern Myanmar, western and southern Yunnan in China, and into northern Thailand. Occupies mixed subtropical broadleaf and pine–oak forests with dense undergrowth, often with bamboo and shrub thickets. Prefers edges, old secondary growth, and lightly logged tracts where cover and foraging patches alternate. Sometimes ventures to forest margins and nearby fields, especially at dawn and dusk. Generally secretive and keeps to ground cover.
Altitude Range
600–2600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Mrs. Hume's pheasant, also called the bar-tailed pheasant, is a shy forest bird of the Indo-Burma uplands. It is the state bird of the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur and commemorates Mary Ann Grindall Hume, wife of naturalist A. O. Hume. Males produce a distinctive wing-whirr and ringing crow during the breeding season. The species is sensitive to hunting and habitat loss but can persist in lightly disturbed woodlands.
Doi Lang Mountain - Thailand
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly, in pairs, or small family groups; forms loose coveys outside the breeding season. Ground-nesting, with a simple scrape lined with leaves hidden under shrubs or grass tussocks. Breeding occurs in spring to early summer; clutch and brood are guarded by the female while the male remains nearby.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The male gives a clear, ringing crow and abrupt cackles, especially at dawn. Display flights produce a distinctive wing-whirring sound that carries through the forest.
Plumage
Male shows a rich chestnut mantle with slate-grey underparts and a long, boldly barred tail; wings have pale patches contrasting with darker coverts. Female is smaller and cryptically patterned, mottled brown with fine barring and a shorter barred tail. Both sexes have sturdy legs and dense, smooth contour feathers adapted for life on the forest floor.
Diet
Omnivorous, scratching through leaf litter for seeds, fallen fruits, tender shoots, bulbs, and roots. Supplements plant matter with insects, worms, and other small invertebrates, especially in the breeding season. Will opportunistically forage along paths and at forest edges where food is concentrated.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on the forest floor in dense understory, bamboo clumps, and along clearings and trails. Often uses ecotones between thickets and open patches to alternate between cover and foraging.
