Japan's national bird? The green pheasant? Crested Ibis?

The Green Pheasant

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) decided to choose a national bird in order to promote the conservation of birds. On March 22, 1947, the Japan Ornithological Society held its 81st regular meeting **** 22 ornithologists attended. It was at that meeting that it was discussed, and after a vote, the Green Pheasant was chosen (other species put forward included the Pigeon, Lark, Tree Warbler, and Copper Long-tailed Pheasant).

The reasons for choosing the green pheasant as the national bird were:

1. It is a specialty of Japan, and is a resident bird that can be easily seen on several large islands, including Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.

2. The males have beautiful colors and brave personalities, and the females have a strong motherly love (Japanese legend has it that a female pheasant will not leave her nest even when a fire is raging, and will stay on the nest to protect her eggs despite the danger).

3. It plays an important role in Japanese literature and art. There is an old Japanese fairy tale called Momotaro, in which the green pheasant is one of the companions of Momotaro (along with a monkey and a dog). Men, women and children all know this story.

4. The green pheasant is a hunting bird and is delicious.

Expanded Information

Green Pheasant (scientific name: Phasianus versicolor): belongs to the large chicken species. The total length is about 80 centimeters. Males and females differ greatly, with males having large fleshy crowns and extremely ornate plumage. Upper body feathers are mostly purple copper, blue-green and other colors, with a metallic luster; lower back and waist feathers white. The flight feathers are black and brown with green edges, and the tail feathers are blue-green. It is a lowland bird, a walker. The body is sturdy, the bill is short and conical, suitable for pecking plant seeds; the wings are short and rounded, not good at flying; the feet are strong, with sharp claws, good at walking and digging for food.

Breeding Methods

The wild pheasants have a male-multiple-female mating system, where one male can mate with 4-8 females. Between March and May every year, green pheasants begin to enter the breeding season, the male bird "cluck" hoof beats more than, the sound is clear and loud, can be heard from afar, at this time, the male bird frequently flap their wings, a light dance to the female bird courtship.

And the female will choose to build a simple nest with grass stems, branches and leaves in the wild grasses and mountain forests that are rarely seen, with a size of 23 x 21 centimeters and a depth of 6-10 centimeters. Females lay 6-12 eggs at a time, which are oval in shape, 37.0-46.2 × 31.0-36.0 mm in size, and weigh 19.0-28.5 grams. However, there are some differences between different regions and subspecies. The shell is grayish-brown or light greenish-green, glossy, spotted with some light brown or purple-brown spots, and the incubation period is 23 to 25 days.

Morphological Characteristics

The green pheasant belongs to the large chicken species. The total length is about 80 centimeters. The male has a cluster of bronze to reddish-bronze colored plumage on top of his head. The upper body feathers are mostly purple copper, blue-green and other colors with metallic luster; the lower back and waist feathers are white. The flight feathers are black and brown with green edges, and the tail feathers are blue-green. The lower body is black, with a gray beak and yellowish-gray feet. Female body plumage dark brown, back white, flight and tail feathers with brown transverse spots. The difference in size and coloration between males and females is obvious; male pheasants have a red face, dark green on the strength, breast, and belly, and a long tail with a number of black banded feathers. The female is light brown with black banding and a short tail.

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