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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Salvadori’s Pheasant (Lophura Inornata)

At first glance, it looks like a Malaysian red wild fowl? I almost ignore it, but look closer and you will see that it looks different it is actually a species of pheasant that is not supposed to be seen here. So what is this bird doing here?

I got no idea but here it is, the proof that there is at least one individual male Salvadori Pheasant roaming wild in the forest of Peninsular Malaysia.
I took this specimen’s photo at the Bukit Larut hill forest.
It is not supposed to be found here and is known to be endemic only to the mountain ranges on the Sumatran Island of Indonesia.
After talking to some friends who are more knowledgeable in birds, it is concluded that if this is not an introduced specimen than it would be the first native wild Malaysian Salvadori Pheasant photographed.
Literature available indicates this pheasant as vulnerable, declining and becoming increasingly fragmented owing to clearance of mid-altitude forests in Sumatra.

There seem to be no other documented wild sightings of this species of pheasants reported in Peninsular Malaysia. The pheasant’s Italian sounding name came from being named after a distinguished Italian ornithologist of the time, Tommaso Salvadori.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi,

Very nice shot, gratulation from Hungary, Europe!

But this is not a Salvadori's Pheasant, if the photo was taken in Perak, this is a Malay Crestless Fireback Pheasant hen (Lophura erythrophthalma erythrophthalma).

That is a similar vulnerable and rare species, and it is easy to confused with the previous species.

The Salvadori's Pheasant cock has a yellow point near the eye-ring and it found just in Sumatra.

Do you have other pheasant or peafowl photos?

Irinyi

Tung Kin Foong said...

Hi,
Wow. from Hungary!
Thank you for pointing out the wrong identification.

You must have deep interest in pheasants and pea fowls.

Unfortunately, I do not have other photos of pheasants.

KF Tung

THOMAS said...

Wonderful pheasant!
thomasbirds.blogspot.com