Temminck’s Tragopans

The Temminck’s is one of 5 species of Tragopan pheasant. It is a medium sized pheasant which lives at high altitudes in the Eastern Himalayas, Southern Tibet, Myanmar and some surrounding areas.

Note: The Temminick’s Tragopan Pheasant is common and widespread throughout forests of northern South Asia. Its range stretches from northeast India, northwest Vietnam, Tibet and northern provinces of China.

Description:

The Temminck’s Tragopan is a medium-sized, up to 64cm long, stocky red pheasant with white spotted plumage, black bill and pink legs.

The Temminck’s Tragopan cock is an extremely bright colored bird, mostly a rich shade of orange smothered with whitish ocelli.

He has a gorgeous blue face surrounded with black. Like all the Tragopans he has an amazing display and is able to inflate a pair of “horns” from his crown and a bib from the throat.

Other Releated Web Links: Pheasant General InformationPheasant SpeciesPheasant TaxonomyBreeding PheasantsPheasant Photo GalleryHousing PheasantsPheasant DiseasesPeacock InformationPeafowl Species List

The “bib” or lappet is particularly vivid with red and blue markings.

The female is a white-spotted brown bird with blue circular eye skin.

Its appearance resembles the Satyr Tragopan, but unlike the latter species it has all red upperbody plumage and orange collar.

Temminck's Tragopan
Temminck’s Tragopan, Tragopan temminckii

Temminck’s Tragopan, Tragopan temminckii -Female

Housing:

These birds are extremely hardy and are easy to keep in a medium to large aviary. We have pairs which seem perfectly happy in aviaries 24′ X 12′. They like some high perches and unlike many pheasants will use an elevated nest box.

Diet:

We give them the same pheasant pellets to eat as the rest of our birds as well as a portion of fruit and berries and a small amount of grains.

(Note: Its natural diet consists largely of berries, grass and plants.)

Breeding:

The birds will breed in their second year and the hen will start to lay in April. Usually 2 – 4 eggs are laid in a clutch and up to 12 eggs in a season. Incubation is normally 28 days.

If you are looking for an unusual bird with a quiet nature which very easily becomes tame you have found what you are looking for with the Temminck’s Tragopan.

If you have the space to accommodate them they are a pure treasure to keep

Keeping and Breeding the Temminck’s Tragopan Pheasant
Courtesy of Alan Downie and Zoë A. Hunter
Allandoo Pheasantry – Breeders of Ornamental Pheasants in Southwest Scotland

Temminck’s Tragopan, Tragopan temminckii
Photo of author

Gordon Ramel

Gordon is an ecologist with two degrees from Exeter University. He's also a teacher, a poet and the owner of 1,152 books. Oh - and he wrote this website.

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