Edwards's Pheasant

Edwards's pheasant, also called the Vietnam pheasant, is 58–65 cm long and weighs roughly 1.05–1.15 kg. The male is glossy blue-black with a short shaggy white crest, red facial skin and red legs; the female is uniform cold grey-brown with warmer wings and a darker tail. White central tail feathers formerly used to define the Vietnamese pheasant are now understood as variation within this species, probably amplified by inbreeding (EAZA Vietnam Pheasant Guidelines 2024).

The species is endemic to central Vietnam, historically in extremely humid evergreen lowland forest below 300 m with high rainfall and a dense liana-rich understorey. Records come from Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue. No living wild bird has been confirmed since 2000 despite repeated surveys, so current field ecology is poorly known. Conservation planning centres on habitat surveys, captive management and preparation for possible reintroduction rather than assuming an extant population (EAZA Vietnam Pheasant Guidelines 2024; Buner & Schou 2019).