A pheasant of Japan’s mountain forests, with a conspicuously long tail in males.
Males have a long tail. Females are reddish-brown overall, with a white tail tip.
Copper Pheasants use broadleaved forests and mixed woodland containing cedar and cypress. At Tama Forest Science Garden, one wild male moved between creeks, slopes and ridges, ascending to ridge roosts in summer.
A study published in 2016 tracked this male from June 2003 to May 2004. Seasonal home ranges calculated around recorded locations were about 5.8 hectares in summer, 5.3 in autumn and 12.4 in winter.
The male travelled with one female through autumn and much of winter, and with two females in February. In April and May it moved alone. Both space use and companions changed during this individual’s year.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2016 researchers emphasize the need for basic ecological knowledge in Copper Pheasant conservation. This male frequently used plantations into which broadleaved trees had grown. Identifying woodland composition and seasonal use can inform conservation research.