Biology
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Like most other tragopans, Cabot's tragopan primarily forages on the forest floor for ferns, roots of herbaceous plants, stems, leaves, buds, flowers, seeds and fruit, and occasionally small invertebrates (7). Leaves and fruit of Daphniphyllum macropodum are a particularly favoured food (4) (7).
The breeding season is from early March to May (2), when males can be heard calling at dawn from within their territories, and observed performing spectacular courtship displays (6) (7). A nest of leaves, grasses, mosses and feathers is constructed in trees or possibly on the ground, although an abandoned nest of another species is frequently adopted, into which a clutch of two to six eggs are laid and incubated by the female for around 28 days (6) (7). After hatching, the female and chicks stay in the nest for three days without feeding, before flying to the ground to forage within her feeding territory, and remain together for the whole winter (7). Occasionally, flocks of two to three families may gather together until the following spring, and are sometimes joined by males at the end of autumn or in winter (6).
Conservation
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Cabot's tragopan is legally protected in China, and appears in a number of protected areas (4) (7). Indeed, the recent rapid increase in the number of protected areas within the bird's range is believed to have significantly benefited this species, through successfully preventing forest clearance and hunting (4) (7). For example, the logging of mature forest at Wuyanling was stopped when it was established as a nature reserve in 1975, and in 1987 many of the cleared areas within the reserve were replanted. 70 to 75 birds were hunted annually at Jinggang Shan in Jiangxi before the establishment of the nature reserve in 1982, at which time illegal hunting stopped (7). Even so, many of the reserves are relatively small and isolated, and may not contain large enough areas of suitable forest to support viable populations. A four-year project to intensively study Cabot's tragopan, its biology and conservation is currently underway, and will hopefully provide important information to identify future conservation priorities (4).
Fortunately, Cabot's tragopan thrives in captivity (8), and in the early 1990s there were an estimated 250 captive specimens worldwide (7). However, although captive-breeding has been successful, re-introductions into the wild is not a suitable solution until there is sufficient habitat to support an expanded population. Thus, conservation of the species' habitat in the wild must remain the highest priority of those aiming to save this rare forest bird (7).
Description
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The male of this species is unmistakable, being by far the palest of all tragopans, and the only one with a straw-buff coloured breast and underparts, earning it the alternative common name of yellow-bellied tragopan (2). The upper body is mostly a rich reddish-brown, heavily spotted with buff (4), and the head is blackish except for orange-red patches on the crest and sides of the neck, and conspicuous bare orange facial skin (5). Like other tragopans, males have a brilliant blue and red inflatable lappet hanging from the throat and two fleshy blue 'horns' above the eyes, which become expanded and erect during courtship (4). The less-colourful female is mottled black and rufous-brown above, with whitish triangular markings, and greyish-brown below, with large white marks (5).
Habitat
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Occurs in subtropical, evergreen broadleaf forest and mixed deciduous-coniferous forest between 600 and 1,800 metres above sea level, as well as in open areas above the treeline (4). Particularly found in areas with undergrowth, mountain stream sides, slopes, terraces and damp places under cliffs (6). Cabot's tragopan's distribution is also closely tied to the distribution of the tree Daphniphyllum macropodum, which is often used for roosting, and also as a food source (4).
Range
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Known from many widely scattered localities in the mountain ranges of south-east China (4).
Status
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Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1) and listed on Appendix I of CITES (3).
Threats
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With only a small, severely fragmented population, which is undergoing continuous decline due to heavy human pressure in south-east China, Cabot's tragopan faces an uncertain future (4) (8). While numbers are believed to be relatively stable inside protected areas, they are declining elsewhere owing to ongoing habitat loss and modification (3). Most natural forest has been cleared as a result of demands for agricultural land, logging and mining, or modified by the progressive conversion of natural mixed forests to conifer plantations (4) (9). Direct persecution has also had a significant impact in the last century, with the pheasant being hunted for food, its plumage and for the bird trade (9). Illegal hunting for food still occurs in some regions, especially outside protected areas (4).
Cabot's tragopan
provided by wikipedia EN
Cabot's tragopan (Tragopan caboti) is a pheasant found in south-east China. The common and scientific names of this large bird both commemorate the ornithologist Samuel Cabot III.[3] Other common names include the Chinese tragopan and the yellow-bellied tragopan. The population is divided into two subspecies, of which the dominate subspecies is found in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, and T. c. guangxiensis is confined to northeastern Guangxi and southern Hunan. The IUCN has assessed it as being a "vulnerable species".
Description
Cabot's tragopan is a plump ground-dwelling bird with relatively short legs. The male grows to a length of about 60 cm (24 in) and a weight of around 1.4 kg (3 lb) while the female is about 10 cm (4 in) shorter and weighs around 0.9 kg (2 lb). The head of the male is black with reddish-orange streaks on either side and on the neck and similar-coloured bare skin on the cheeks and around the eye. Below the beak dangle blue and orange decorative, inflatable wattles and there are a pair of fleshy blue "horns" over the eyes. The upper parts of the body are reddish-brown, with large buff markings and the underparts are straw-coloured. The female is altogether a less-colourful bird. The head and upper parts are reddish-brown spotted with black and marked with triangular-shaped white patches and the underparts are greyish-brown with white markings.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Cabot's tragopan is endemic to mountain ranges in southeastern China where it is present in the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang. Its typical habitat is subtropical evergreen forest and other forests with a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. Its altitudinal range is 600 to 1,800 metres (2,000 to 5,900 ft) and it is also present above the treeline. Populations are fragmented as it has limited ability to disperse and seems not to move across gaps in forest cover of over 500 metres (1,600 ft).[1]
Taxonomy
Cabot's tragopan has two recognized subspecies:[5]
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T. c. caboti (Gould, 1857) – southeast China
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T. c. guangxiensis Cheng T. & Wu M., 1979 – Guangxi, south-central China
Behaviour
Cabot's tragopan (Female)
Cabot's tragopan feeds mostly on the ground, foraging for roots, shoots, buds, flowers, fruits and seeds. A favourite food is the fruit and leaves of Daphniphyllum macropodum, a small tree which is also used for roosting at night. Small invertebrates are also sometimes eaten.[4]
Breeding takes place in the spring and Cabot's tragopan has an elaborate courtship ritual. The nest is usually built off the ground in a fork in a tree and is made of grasses, mosses, feathers and leaves, but sometimes an empty nest of another bird species is used. A clutch of two to six eggs is laid and incubation is performed solely by the female. The eggs hatch in about twenty eight days and the female broods the young for two or three days after that. They then all leave the nest together, the chicks being able to fly soon after they hatch, and remain together for the winter, possibly joining with another family in a small group.[4][6]
Conservation status
Cabot's tragopan is assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being a "vulnerable species". This is because it is estimated that there are fewer than ten thousand individuals and that the number of birds is decreasing. The main threat it faces are loss of habitat as natural forest is converted to agricultural land or plantations of conifers and bamboo. This reduces the availability of suitable nesting sites in the forks of trees, but it is hoped that the provision of artificial nesting platforms may help. The bird is present in some protected areas but these are mostly small. Illegal hunting still takes place in some areas.[1] The zoo studbook holder for this species is Zoo Praha.
See also
References
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Cabot's tragopan: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Cabot's tragopan (Tragopan caboti) is a pheasant found in south-east China. The common and scientific names of this large bird both commemorate the ornithologist Samuel Cabot III. Other common names include the Chinese tragopan and the yellow-bellied tragopan. The population is divided into two subspecies, of which the dominate subspecies is found in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, and T. c. guangxiensis is confined to northeastern Guangxi and southern Hunan. The IUCN has assessed it as being a "vulnerable species".
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