The Tragopan birds are commonly called “horny pheasants” because of two brightly colored, fleshy horns on their heads that they can erect during courtship displays. The scientific name refers to this, being a composite of tragus (billy goat) and the ribald half-goat deity Pan. Their habit of nesting in trees is unique among phasianids. There are five species are endangered. Western Tragopan,Satyr Tragopan, Temminck’s Tragopan Blyth’s Tragopan Cabot’s Tragopan. These beautiful birds live in hilly evergreen forests of China, where they forage for leaves, fruit, seeds and insects. Tragopans are facing threats from destruction of their forests by farmers and loggers. They’re also hunted for food, for their bright plumage and for the pet trade. Like their pheasant cousins, male tragopans are more richly colored than the plainer females.During courtship, the male flashes his colorful wing linings and inflates the bright-colored wattles on his head and throat.
