The Blue-eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum), related to the Galliformes, Phasianidae, is a rare but important bird, endemic to China. This bird is found only in the mountainous regions of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan provinces and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Lu and Zheng, 1998). It is listed as a ‘vulnerable bird’ in the China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals (RDB -AVES, 1996) (Zheng and Wang, 1998) and it is also ranked as a second grade key protected wildlife species in China since it is experiencing a drastic population decline. Morphologically, the Blue-eared Pheasant can be distinguished easily from other Crossoptilon species by its distinctive blue feathers. Males and females are similar except for spurs on the legs of the males above their hind toe. The top of the head is covered with black feathers, with greatly elongated white ear coverts. The Blue-eared Pheasant has no subspecies differentiation and is a typical, high elevation, cold forest bird. Some information on its biology has been reported in recent years (Liu et al., 2005; Sun et al., 2005; Wu and Liu, 2010a, 2010b, 2011). In light of this, we provide updated information on the ecology and conservation status of the Blue-eared Pheasant, by integrating published data with our field surveys in the Gaihai-zecha National Nature Reserve, in the
Habitat
south of Gansu Province, from 2006 to 2008.In Helan Mountain, Ningxia, the Blue eared Pheasant in winter prefers conifer forests dominated by Pinus tabulaeformis and Picea crassifolia and avoids other vegetation types. This pheasant shows a strong preference for sunny and shady slope aspects and avoids half sunny and half shady slopes. Compared with random plots, the sites used are characterized by dense vegetation of trees and shrubs, steep slopes, closed covers for hiding, shallow snow depths and high elevations. Hiding cover, tree and shrub densities, distance to water sources and slope angles are critical factors in discriminating between usage sites and random plots (Liu et al., 2005). In the forests of south Gansu, the principal foraging method for field flocks of Blue-eared Pheasants in winter consists of digging up plant roots. It is difficult for birds in tall trees and grass cover to dig for food on frozen ground, given the weak solar radiation in coniferous forests. Therefore, these flocks prefer habitats with scattered
trees and grasses during the non-breeding stage (Wu and Liu,unpublished data). In the breeding stage, the Blue-eared Pheasant in the Gaihai-zecha Reserve prefers steep slopes (average 43.36 ± 13.95°) for foraging (Fig. 1), which is similar to that of the Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) with slope angles ranging from 30° to 50° (Shao, 1998). The disturbance by collecting potherbs and herding in local forests has affected the available area for this pheasant, which can be verified by the variation in the distances to paths between the breeding habitats and control site of this pheasant. Our study also revealed that breeding Blue-eared Pheasants prefer mid-high and high positions on slopes with greater species richness and higher cover of grass, because in these areas these conditions not only provide the seeds and roots of grasses for foraging but are also good places for finding different kinds of insects (Wu 
Population Status and Conservation
and Liu, unpublished data). The number of Blue-eared Pheasants was once abundant, but due to deforestation and excessive hunting by local people (because of gorgeous feather, beautiful posture, and high economic value), the population has declined drasti cally (Lei and Lu, 2006). As well, the harm from natural enemies is one of the important reasons for this decline. According to a survey by Liao (1984), major natural enemies of the Blue-earedPheasant are the hawk, Vulpes ferrilata, wolf, lynx and weasel (Fig. 5). Especially in the breeding and brooding periods, carnivores such as wolf and fox constantly attack the adult birds and their nestlings. Due to the lack of abundant food in winter, Blue-eared Pheasants always require larger habitats such as different types of forest or a larger range of elevations (i.e., moving from the top of a hill to the foothills and even to farmlands) to find more food sources. Therefore, some conservation measures have been recommended for this pheasant: these include strengthening the conservation of existing suitable habitats, reducing man-made interference and optimizing the landscape configuration, which would be more effective and beneficial means to promote habitat conservation of this pheasant. Source: Image1, Image2, Article
