Edwards' Pheasant

(Lophura edwardsi)




Facts about this animal

The total length of the Edwards pheasant is 58-65 cm. Body-weight ranges from 1000 to 1100 g.

The general plumage of the male is dark blue, with a white backward curved crest. The iris is reddish. The face wattles are scarlet with two large lobes above and below. The bill is whitish green and blackish at the base. It has crimson coloured legs.


The female: is chestnut brown and the upper parts are not barred. The whole plumage is very finely and inconspicuously vermiculated with black. The shafts of the feathers are light brown. The orbital skin and the legs are red.

In immatures, the head and neck are greyish brown, the throat pale fulvous; the body feathers chestnut brown, finely vermiculated with black; feathers of mantle with two subterminal dark spots; wing-coverts greyish black at the base, chestnut streaked with black near the end with a blackish V-shaped subterminal marking.

Laying starts at the end of March. Clutches size ranges from four to six eggs, occasionally more. A second laying (and sometimes a third) can occur at intervals of about 2-3 weeks if the eggs have been taken or destroyed. The eggs rosy to creamy buff, with small white pitted spots. 45 x 36mm. Incubation: 21-23 days.

It is assumed that the Vietnamese Pheasant is an inbred form of the Edwards’ Pheasant resulting from considerable forest fragmentation and isolated populations.

The Edwards’ Pheasant can also cross-breed with the Silver Pheasant resulting in a natural hybrid form known as the Imperial Pheasant ( Lophura imperialis).

Did you know?
that an Edwards' pheasant hen can lay up to three clutches if the eggs are removed and placed in an incubator? Average clutch size is 4 to 7 eggs.


Class AVES
Name (Scientific) Lophura edwardsi
Name (English) Edwards' Pheasant
Name (French) Faisan de Edwards
Name (German) Edwards-Fasan
Name (Spanish) Faisán de Edwards
CITES Status Appendix I
CMS Status Not listed



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Range Viet Nam
Habitat Rainforest
Wild population Approx. 250 - 999
Zoo population 1061 registered in the International studbook (end of 2004), of which 199 reported to ISIS (2005)

In the Zoo

Edwards' Pheasant


How this animal should be transported



Find this animal on ZooLex


Photo Copyright by
Frank Wouters

Why do zoos keep this animal

There are probably less than 1000 Edwards pheasants surviving in the wild and the species irs rated Endangered by IUCN. With a view of building up a reserve population, an International Studbook has been established under the WAZA umbrella, and coordinated conservation breeding programmes are operated at the regional level by EAZA and JAZA. The zoo population participating in Studbook and breeding programmes is now larger than the most optimistic estimate for the wild population!