# Blue eared pheasant

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{{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](/source/Peter_Simon_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](/source/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&nbsp;g, and females 1450–1880&nbsp;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](/source/Iris_(anatomy)), 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](/source/China), preferring [juniper](/source/juniper) scrub in alpine meadows at 2700–4400&nbsp;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](/source/white_eared_pheasant) ''C. crossoptilon'', and southwest of the [brown eared pheasant](/source/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](/source/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

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