January 25, 2013

Sempidan - Wild Pheasants from Sarawak

(Photos from Ian Kody - a nephew)


the male sempidan with his splendid enviable coloured feathers.







The sempidan hen is rather plain, like the peahen and is generally brown in colour with a slightly bluish face. White streaks can be seen on her breast.

 The sempidan, or Crested Fireback pheasants are threatened species found in Thailand,Malaya, Sumatra , Kalimantan and Sarawak. However they are sometimes found by boatmen and jungle travellers who keep them as pets.

The males have cobalt blue faces and have dark meallic blue plumage with some streaks of reddish brown on the back. They have a wide curved tail which is cream at the top with the contrasting bottom feathers which are bluish as the main body. The face has bright blue wattels which expand to twice the size when the bird is displaying its features and trying to attract attention.

( ophura ignita nobilis)
Crested - Fireback Pheasant

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

so this is how wildlife conservation is done in sarawak ?

Ensurai said...

Yes, home style conservation. the people living in the fringes of the jungle would try their best to breed this pheasant like they breed chicken. Half a century ago, the grandfather's generation could easily capture sempidan for dinner. Now that the population is dwindling, they would like to do their own part to raise as many as possible. At the moment, according to the owner of this pair, he is trying his best to increase the population. In the past one brood had even been released into the jungle by one community.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

hope no idiots go shooting them.

Ensurai said...

The little chicks are hard to sight in the jungle. The bigger ones are found nowadays further and deeper into the jungles. But usually people don't shoot them. The small chicks are captured for breeding. The big ones are really beautiful. Hope no idiots will go shoot them..

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