Crested Fireback

The Crested Fireback is found in lowland forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra. There are four subspecies of the Crested Fireback. Males of the subspecies from Borneo and Bangka Island, L. i ignita and L. i. nobilis , have brown central tail feathers, whitish legs and are rufous below. The male Vieillot's Crested Fireback, L. i. rufa, of the Thai-Malay Peninsula and most of Sumatra has white central tail feathers, red legs and bluish black streaked white below. The final subspecies, Delacour's Crested Fireback, L. i. macartneyi, is found in south-eastern Sumatra and the male has white to the tail, whitish legs and a variable amount of rufous below. The female of L. i ignita and L. i. nobilis have a dark, blackish tail and whitish legs, while female of L. i.a rufa has a chestnut brown tail and red legs.

Picture of the Crested Fireback has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike.

The Crested Fireback is classified as Near Threatened (NT), is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

The Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita, is a medium-sized, up to 70 cm long, forest pheasant with a peacock-like dark crest, bluish black plumage, reddish brown rump, black outer tail feathers, red iris and bare blue facial skin. The female is a brown bird with short crest, blue facial skin and spotted black-and-white below. The Crested Fireback is found in lowland forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra. There are four subspecies of the Crested Fireback. More

also be said for the Malayan Crested Fireback, which may be declining in captivity. The Delacour's is very rare in captivity and less than a handful of breeders have kept this species. Breeding Season: May through August. Breeding Age: Although males attain adult plumage the first year, they are not fully mature until the third year. I have heard that second year birds are often fertile. Clutch Size: 4 to 8 eggs. Incubation Period: 24 days. Misc. More

The Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita, is found throughout the lowland forests of Peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. Due to ongoing habitat lost and overhunting in some areas, the Crested Fireback is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Description: This pheasant is medium-sized, up to 28 inches (~70cm) long. More

The Vieillot's Crested Fireback is also known as the Malayan Crested Fireback. They are endemic to Malaysia and Sumatra. Description: The cocks have very glossy blue/black plumage. The top half of the curved tail is pure white. There are also contrasting white streaks on the sides of the body. They are very impressive with blue facial wattles, a bushy crest and large spurs. More

Male crested fireback© John Corder / World Pheasant Association Male crested fireback© John Corder / World Pheasant Association Male crested fireback© Pete Oxford / naturepl.com Male crested fireback© Gerald Cubitt / www.nhpa.co. More

The Crested Fireback is found throughout lowland forests of Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo and Sumatra. There are four subspecies of the Crested Fireback, with two notable and very different forms. The nominate male Bornean Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita ignita of Borneo and Bangka Island has a brown central tail feathers, whitish legs and reddish brown below. The male Vieillot's Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita rufa of the Peninsular and Sumatra has a white central tail feathers, red legs and bluish black streaked white below. More

The third race, the Malay or Vieillot's Crested Fireback, is better know as it is more often kept in captivity. It is not an easy keeper, however, as it does not do well in cold climates. More

The male Bornean Crested Fireback pheasant is a splendid looking bird. It has a mainly blue/black body with the metallic sheen seen in many of the pheasants. The lower breast is copper coloured with a deeper shade of reddish brown on the back. They have a wide (vertically) curved tail which is cream at the top with the contrasting bottom feathers being the same bluish shade of black as the main body. More

Crested Fireback (Lophura ignita) by Craig Robson from Malaysia XC19252 :: Crested Fireback (Lophura ignita) = Recording data Recordist Craig Robson Date ?-?-? Time ?:? Country Malaysia Location Taman Negara, Pahang Longitude E102.24'6" Latitude N4. More

nominate male Bornean Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita ignita of Borneo and Bangka Island has a brown central tail feathers, whitish legs and reddish brown below. The male Vieillot's Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita rufa of the Peninsular and Sumatra has a white central tail feathers, red legs and bluish black streaked white below. The female of nominate form has a dark, blackish tail and whitish legs, while female of the latter has a chestnut brown tail and red legs. More

Picture of Lophura ignita above has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.
Original source: Isidro Mart
Author: Isidro Mart
Permission: Some rights reserved
Order : Galliformes
Family : Phasianidae
Genus : Lophura
Species : ignita
Authority : (Shaw, 1797)