ABSTRACT :
The breeding of Beicki's blood pheasant, Ithaginis cruentus beicki, was investigated in April-July 1984-1986 in a 8-km2 study area of the Lenglong Mountains, northwestern Gansu, China, by bird counting and sighting, nest searching and crop collection. The blood pheasant mainly used the dragon spruce, Picea crassifolia, forest with moss on shaded and semi-shaded slopes at an altitude of 2,250-3,100 m, and alpine shrubs at an altitude of 3,100-3,300 m. The breeding season lasted from April to July. Territorial behaviour occurred during the last ten days of April. Pairing started after the territories were occupied by males. The mating system is monogamous. The ratio between males and females was 1.4:1 (males = 65, females = 46, n = 37 flocks). During the egg-laying period, some unpaired males paired with females which had lost their mate. The male’s pre-copulative display is of the frontal type. Blood pheasants nested in the dragon spruce forest with moss and dragon spruce forest with shrubs at an altitude of 2,560-2,900 m. Their nests were located in holes under rocks (n = 2), tree stumps (n = 3), logs (n = 2) and at the base of a tree (n = 1). Egg-laying started in mid-May. The average clutch size was 6.0 eggs (range: 4-9 eggs, n = 7). The incubation period lasted 24 days in artificial incubators. Both parents looked after their young. 79-100% of their food (wet weight, n = 14 crops) comprised mosses (Abietinella albietina and Bryum erythrocarps) and herbs (Thermopsis sp.). No animal food was discovered. The blood pheasant’s egg size increases with latitude (r = 0.84, P < 0.05), while the variability of clutch size also increases with increasing latitudes (r = 0.93, P < 0.01). Blood pheasants living at high latitude adopt a breeding strategy of laying large eggs which may produce larger and stronger young.

Game and Wildlife Science, Vol. 17 (1), March 2000, p. 17-27