The Bar-tailed Pheasant is a long-tailed pheasant with red wattles around the eyes. Blue and white markings stand out on males, while females are mottled brown.
Males have reddish-brown backs and sides with white and blue bars, and brown and pale barring on the tail. Females are smaller and mottled brown and buff.
Bar-tailed Pheasants inhabit forests containing pines, oaks and other trees, with scrub and grassy openings. They have been observed eating acorns and termites. They forage on the ground but rest on tree branches at night.
Surveys during four periods between December 2003 and April 2005 examined 12 roost sites at Jinzhongshan in Guangxi, China. Researchers located sites using observations and droppings, then compared them with ten randomly selected non-roost sites.
Nine roost sites were in broad-leaved forest, and roosting branches stood two to five metres above ground. Birds usually occupied separate trees, although two or three sometimes shared one. In winter they also rested within the same forest patch while keeping some distance apart.
IUCN Red List · Vulnerable · Global
The IUCN global assessment published in 2023 lists this species as Vulnerable with a decreasing trend. Forest loss, degradation and fragmentation, together with hunting and trapping for food, are threats. The Jinzhongshan study recommends protecting broad-leaved forest, including trees used for overnight roosting.