Lady Amherst's pheasant (English spelling: Chrysolophus amherstiae)

Japanese: ギンケイ（英語表記）Chrysolophus amherstiae; Lady Amherst's pheasant

Order Phasianidae, family Phasianidae. Males are 120-150cm long. Closely related to the golden pheasant, they look similar, but their colors are different. Their tail feathers are long and have black insect bite patterns on a white background. The top of the head is greenish-black, with a red crest (→ crest) extending from the back of the head. The area around the eyes is featherless and is blue-gray to blue. The back of the neck and back are covered with a cape-like ornamental feathers, each of which has a black edge and a scaly pattern. The chest and upper back are dark green with a metallic luster, with the black edges of each feather forming a scaly pattern. The lower back is more purple. The upper tail feathers are golden in the front and long, red ornamental feathers in the rear, which extend from the base of the tail feathers and hang down to the sides. The abdomen is white. The wings are dark blue-green. Females have shorter tail feathers and smaller bodies than males, and are brown with black edges on each feather to create a scaly pattern. They are similar to female golden pheasants, but their feathers are slightly darker. Their beaks and legs are a dark gray-blue color. They live mainly in highland forests in central and western China, Tibet, and northern Myanmar. Because of their beauty, they were introduced to Japan early on and kept as pets, and hybrids with golden pheasants, such as those with red bellies, can also be seen.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

キジ目キジ科。雄は全長 120～150cm。キンケイに近縁で，外見は似ているが，色彩が異なる。尾羽は長く，白地に黒い虫くい模様がある。頭上は緑黒色で，後頭に赤い冠羽（→羽冠）が伸びる。眼の周囲は羽毛がなく，青灰色から青。後頸から背は白い各羽毛の縁が黒く，うろこ模様になったケープ状の飾り羽が覆う。胸部，背上部は金属光沢のある濃緑色地に，各羽毛の黒い縁がうろこ模様をつくっている。背下部は紫みが強くなる。上尾筒は前方が黄金色で，後方は長くて赤い飾り羽となり，尾羽の基部に伸びて脇にたれている。腹部は白い。翼は濃い青緑色。雌は雄より尾羽が短くて体が小さく，褐色で各羽の縁が黒くうろこ模様をつくり，キンケイの雌に似るが，羽色がやや黒みを帯びる。嘴と脚は黒っぽい灰青色。中国中部から西部，チベット，ミャンマー北部のおもに高地の森林に生息する。その美しさから，日本にも早くから移入されて飼育され，腹部が赤いなどキンケイとの雑種も見られる。

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