Siamese Fireback

Description:

spotted at houston zoo. The Siamese Fireback, Lophura diardi also known as Diard's Fireback is a medium-sized, approximately 80 cm long, pheasant. The male has a grey plumage with an extensive red facial skin, crimson legs and feet, ornamental black crest feathers, reddish brown iris and long curved blackish tail. The female is a brown bird with blackish wing and tail feathers.

Habitat:

The Siamese Fireback is distributed to the lowland and evergreen forests of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in Southeast Asia. This species is also designated as the national bird of Thailand. The female usually lays between four to eight rosy eggs.

Notes:

The scientific name commemorates the French naturalist Pierre-Médard Diard. Due to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, the Siamese Fireback is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.