The Satyr Tragopan Is A Bird That Will Not Easily Be Forgotten

Just about every person in the world knows about the fact that there is a bird whose name is pheasant; most people associate it with the common ring-necked pheasant. However, I bet that most people do not know about the Satyr Tragopan this is also a pheasant, one that is not so common; they are rare enough so that you don't ever hear about them and you never see them, one might ask if they even exist! They do exist and they are a pheasant so mysterious and beautiful that it makes the common ring-neck look like nothing more than a chicken.

The Satyr Tragopan also goes by the name crimson horned pheasant- this is a bird which not surprisingly (because of the name) belongs to the Tragopan pheasant family. One other name that people like to call these birds is the Horned Pheasant. This is because when they are going through their little courtship rituals in the hopes that their mate will accept them, the males erect two little colorful fleshy horns that are on the top of their heads.

This wonderful beautiful bird can be found in the Himalayan area, places like India, Nepal and Bhutan. The Satyr Tragopan is a bird that loves to live in the forest under the trees, a good play with a lot of cover from predators and on the other hand a rather pretty place to live if you ask me. They live in forests that are 8,000 to 14,000 feet high in the summer and right around 6,000 in the winter.

These are strange birds that always have a little surprise for you if you do not know them very well; they have lappets and horns that they inflate with air. The Satyr Tragopan is a bird that can grow up to reach about 68 to 72 cm and they can weigh up to 4lbs, that's big enough. The male is gorgeous, he has a back that is almost all brown, a black head and a black tail. The thing that makes him beautiful though is his deep ruby red chest, the red starts on his neck and covering the base of his wings and going all the way down to cover his belly. One other thing that makes him stand out is the ocelli (eyelike markings) that cover his whole body. His head is picture perfect, with a crown of red feathers and just a little bit of royal blue showing through, this is the face of one bird that you will not easily forget!

You know how with some birds it is considered almost impossible to breed them and get a healthy brood of chicks from them? I know a person that has been trying to breed different kinds of birds for years and has never really succeeded, not because she is not doing everything that needs to be done, just because the birds are way too hard to breed and raise. But anyway, just so you know the Satyr Tragopan is not that way, this is one bird that is rather easy to breed and raise.

I mentioned earlier that the male has just a showing of blue on his head, well this blue will become more and more obvious as the breeding season comes closer. When the courtship ritual begins, the cock will shake his head and go into a dance that any female watching will not be able to resist, the male will bow over and over again with his wings spread and all his lappet and horns inflated...it is quite a sight and you'll surely remember such a show if you have the chance to see one!

Unlike other pheasant hens, the hens of the Satyr Tragopan clan will lay her eggs in a nest that has been elevated; I guess they did this in the wild to keep the babies safe from predators. She will lay about four eggs in one setting and being a good mom, will set them and raise up a bunch of happy healthy chicks.

The Satyr Tragopan is a bird that will not easily be forgotten, once you see one you too will become a slave of its mysterious beauty and fall under their spell.