{{short description|Species of bird}} {{speciesbox | name = Blue eared pheasant | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Crossoptilon auritum'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T22679307A92810024 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679307A92810024.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> | image = Blue Eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum), Songpan County, Sichuan 1.jpg | image_caption = In Songpan County, Sichuan, China | genus = Crossoptilon | species = auritum | authority = (Pallas, 1811) }} The '''blue eared pheasant''' ('''''Crossoptilon auritum'''''), also sometimes hyphenated as '''blue eared-pheasant''', is a large pheasant endemic to China. Although it is considered rare,<ref name="Yi-Qun et al">{{Cite journal |last1=Yi-Qun |first1=Wu |last2=Xiu |first2=Xu |last3=Nai-fa |first3=Liu |last4=Feng |first4=Xu |display-authors=2 |date=2013 |title=Seasonal Changes in Habitat Use of Blue-Eared Pheasant, ''Crossoptilon auritum'' |url=https://www.zsp.com.pk/pdf45/1699-1704%20_29_%20PJZ-1188-12%2030-11-13%20Seasonal%20Change_.pdf |journal=Pakistan Journal of Zoology |volume=45 |issue=6 |pages=1699–1704}}</ref> the blue eared pheasant is evaluated as of least concern.
== Description == The blue eared pheasant is around {{convert|96|cm|adj=on|abbr=on}} long (including the {{cvt|49|–|56|cm}} tail); males weigh 1700–2110 g, and females 1450–1880 g.<ref name="HBW">{{cite book |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World Volume 2 New World Vultures to Guineafowl |publisher=Lynx edicions |publication-place=Barcelona |date=1994 |isbn=84-87334-15-6 |page=539}}</ref> It has dark blue-grey plumage with velvet black crown, red facial wattles of bare skin surrounding the eyes, yellow iris, long white ear coverts below and behind the eyes, a pale pink bill, and crimson legs. Its tail of 24 elongated bluish-grey feathers is curved, loose, and dark-tipped, with the outer five pairs of tail feathers having a white base. Both sexes have similar plumage, though the male is slightly larger, and has short spurs on the legs.<ref name="HBW"/><ref name=ebird>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-04 |title=Blue Eared-Pheasant |url=https://ebird.org/species/blephe1 |access-date=2026-03-04 |website=eBird}}</ref>
== Distribution == The blue eared pheasant is found in the mountain forests of central China, preferring juniper scrub in alpine meadows at 2700–4400 m altitude.<ref name="HBW"/><ref name="ABW">{{cite book |last=Hoyo |first=Josep del |title=All the birds of the world |publisher=Lynx edicions |publication-place=Barcelona |date=2020 |isbn=978-84-16728-37-4 |page=64}}</ref> Its range is to the northeast of the closely related white eared pheasant ''C. crossoptilon'', and southwest of the brown eared pheasant ''C. mantchuricum''.<ref name="ABW"/>
== Ecology == thumb|Colour plate from 1918 of the blue eared pheasant Its diet consists mainly (about 80%) of berries and vegetable matter; the remaining 20% being insects, particularly beetles.<ref name="HBW"/>
== See also == * List of endangered and protected species of China
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/Blue-Eared-Pheasant BirdLife Species Factsheet]
{{Phasianidae}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q278987}}
blue eared pheasant Category:Birds of North China Category:Birds of Central China Category:Endemic birds of China blue eared pheasant