Temminck's Tragopan Pheasant (Tragopan temmincki)

The Temminck's is one of 5 species of Tragopan pheasant. It is a medium sized pheasant which lives at high altitudes in the Eastern Himalayas, Southern Tibet, Myanmar and some surrounding areas.
The Temminck's Tragopan cock is an extremely bright coloured bird, mostly a rich shade of orange smothered with whitish ocelli. He has a gorgeous blue face surrounded with black. Like all the Tragopans he has an amazing display and is able to inflate a pair of "horns" from his crown and a bib from the throat. The "bib" or lappet is particularly vivid with red and blue markings.
These birds are extremely hardy and are easy to keep in a medium to large aviary. They are the most popular Tragopan in the UK. We have pairs which seem perfectly happy in aviaries 24' X 12'. They like some high perches and unlike many pheasants the hens will use an elevated nest box. The cock Temminck's Tragopan makes good use of any posts or boulders etc. in the aviary as he will jump on and off these obstacles when trying to woo his mate while all the time fluffing himself up to look as large as possible and show off his glorious colours.
We give them the same pheasant pellets to eat as the rest of our birds as well as a portion of fruit and berries and a small amount of peanuts and grain. Although they do not usually bother much with live food some of the Tragopan hens do enjoy them during the spring and summer while breeding, regardless of whether they are actually rearing chicks or not.
The birds will breed in their second year and the hen will start to lay in April. Usually 2 - 4 eggs are laid in a clutch and up to 12 eggs in a season. Incubation is normally 28 days.
If you are looking for an unusual bird with a quiet nature which very easily becomes tame you have found what you are looking for with the Temminck's Tragopan. If you have the space to accommodate them they are a pure treasure to keep.