In the twilight, the calls of the Taiwan ring-necked pheasants resound in the sugar cane fields. Throughout Taiwans agricultural past, this bird has been commonly distributed all over the island and a popular source of dietary protein for the peasants in earlier days. The male Taiwan ring-necked pheasant is impressively endowed with brightly colored plumage and loud calls. The most conspicuous morphological trait is the discontinuous patch of white feather ringing the males neck, by which the bird got its name. In contrast to the male, the female pheasant is plainly feathered, but such dull appearance serves as natural camouflage in the field, ensuring the safety of both the mother and the young during incubation and child-rearing.
This film, The Pearl of the Grass- Taiwan Ring-necked Pheasant, documents the life history of the bird by capturing the rarely sighted moments of male pheasants fighting, chasing, and courtship dancing; of female incubating and nest-guarding; of the young hatching and fledging.
Due to the loss and fragmentation of suitable habitats, wild populations of the Taiwan ring-necked pheasant are decreasing and their distribution limited to the fields of Hualien, Taitung, Tainan and Taichung. The increased degree of isolation between such local populations may lead to reduced chances of genetic exchange. In addition, the genetic integrity of the endemic Taiwan ring-necked pheasant is threatened by hybridization with the introduced common pheasant, as research found the incorporation of the genotypes of the introduced species into the population of the endemic. Therefore, to prevent this beautiful bird from vanishing in the wild, it is our responsibility to ensure the viability of the remaining populations of the Taiwan ring-necked pheasant by preserving suitable habitats and preventing the introducing species from escaping to the wild.
【The information from Forestry Bureau,C.O.A.】
2 мар 2010
