Mikado Pheasant (Syrmaticus mikado)

The Mikado Pheasant is one of the long tailed pheasants belonging to the same genus (Syrmaticus) as the Copper, Reeves, Bartailed and Elliot's pheasants.
Compared with some pheasant species it is quite a plain bird the cock being predominantly black with white barring on the tail and wings. However there is a splendid purplish metallic sheen to the black plumage, as well as a perfect contrast of white stripes and bright red orbital wattles which help to create a very understated beauty. The hen is heavily flecked with brown, black and white to give the camouflage needed in nature.
The Mikado is scarce in the wild and endemic only to Taiwan. It lives in thick forests among rhododendrons and bamboo which is why we like to include these plants in our aviaries. They certainly seem to go down well as they hardly get an opportunity to grow. The mikados love a good varied diet including many plants which they will enjoy every part of. We give them a daily dose of weeds to help give their aviary plants a chance of survival as well as giving our birds the nutrition they need. It is also worthwhile covering plants with wire cages while they are still small. These can then be removed once the plants are large enough to withstand the voracious appetite of the Mikado. They also relish live food eating all sorts of mini beasts. They will not give up the chase at all when faced with the fastest of crickets and will devour many a snail whole.
The hen will start laying her eggs early in April and can continue right through until July. She will lay every two or three days and can lay as many as 40 eggs in the year. Incubation takes a bit longer than with many of the other species. Twenty seven days is usual. As is often the case, the cock can be a bit rough on the hen during the breeding season so it is important to include plenty of hiding places for the hen. Chicks are strong and easily raised without any problems.
Mikados are lovely birds to keep, they are quite pleasant to listen to, not being too noisy. They can also become quite friendly and bold, especially if you are a keen gardener with plenty of bugs and surplus vegetation to expose of.