The Studies on Breeding Ecology of Syrmaticus ellioti Swinhoe

The evergreen broad-leaf forest,the evergreen broad-leaf and coniferous mixed forest and coniferous forest,of which the tree layer coverage is about 90%,are the suitable habitats for the breeding of Elliots Pheasants.During the breeding season,the males courtship display includes dthe wing-flapping display,the lateral display and the display before mating.The activity intensity of courtship display has two obvious peaks during the day time,occourring between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.and between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.separately.The process of mating could be divided into five stages for male and the process of egg-laying has three stages for female.The females nest on the ground and the typical clutch-size are from five to eight eggs.Under artificial conditions the incubation period requires 24 days.