Species Spotlight: Temminck’s Tragopan
Alex Levitskiy
This week’s featured species is the Temminck’s Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii). This species is one of five tragopans, which can be generally classified as a pheasant. The Temminck’s Tragopan males are overall a brilliant orange color which becomes gradually more red tinted towards the tail. The breast underside and sides are marked with gray teardrop-shaped markings. The back region is spotted with white dots that are outlined in black. The dappling persists up to the tail, which is black. The face of males has black feathers and bright blue skin. The skin can actually inflate into a lappet, or bib, which consists of the bright red markings along the outer edges and darker blue skin in the middle dotted with the base coloring of lighter blue. In addition to the lappet, the male also has blue, fleshy horns. The lappet and horns are seen during the male’s frontal breeding display. The hens are quite drab in comparison to the males. Overall, they are brown with black and white markings. Care must be taken to not mix up Temminck’s Tragopan hens with hens of other tragopan species, since tragopan hens closely resemble each other.
Temminck’s Tragopans are a good tragopan to begin with if one wishes to eventually breed the other tragopan species. They lay well, are great parents, and can be quite productive. Temminck’s Tragopans tame down very easily, and this makes them all the more enjoyable to raise. Furthermore, they are the most readily available and cheapest tragopan to acquire. Since they are native to the eastern Himalaya Mountains they take the cold very well, making them a great bird for an aviculturist who is unable to provide the necessary heat for tropical species. I love this species, and I am sure pheasant enthusiasts who wish to add this species to their collection will love them as well.
Photo Credit: Alex Levitskiy
Temminck’s Tragopan Male
Temminck’s Tragopan Hen
