Centropus sinensis

Geographic Range

Centropus sinensis , or crow pheasant, inhabits the Indian Subcontinent along with Southeast Asia. They have been spotted in countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of China. The distribution of the subspecies are also in the same regions spreading from India all the way down to the Philippines. Thailand has a remarkable distribution of the pheasant, with most being seen at the very southern part of the country near the ocean. The Hunan Province in China has a stable population of Centropus sinensis in the Shimen County, Linli County, Anxiang County, and Wuling District. These areas are all considered to be part of the southwest part of China.

• Biogeographic Regions
• oriental oriental
  • native native
• oceanic islands oceanic islands
  • native native

Habitat

Centropus sinensis can be found in densely vegetated habitats, such as agricultural fields and rainforest. They tend to dwell in areas located near big canals and rivers. Some have spotted the species in large woodland, scrubland, grassland, and garden areas close to human settlements. They also tend to inhabit low hillsides, plains and shrubs, or grasses.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland
• rainforest rainforest
• scrub forest scrub forest

• Other Habitat Features
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

Centropus sinensis is a relatively large bird. The top of its wings are a light chestnut color with black underwings. Their beak is a solid black color and their eyes are a deep red-brown color. Their feet and leg colors are dark-grey. From the head to chest region, the feathers are a more purple-blue and bright black color. They have a copper-green color reflecting off their tail feathers. Juveniles have a barred buff on the top of their heads. Their eyes are a grayish blue or dark brown color. Their wings are a brownish black color with narrower tails than the adults and dark brown underparts. Females are relatively bigger than males, weighing about 275-380 grams, while males weigh about 208-270 grams,

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• female larger

Development

Centropus sinensis shows a typical bird development pattern including an egg stage, incubation period, and chick stage. Females lay several clutches consisting of relatively large eggs. The eggs are a chalky white color with a yellow glaze. Most nests contain three to five eggs. When hatched, the chicks are blind and naked. The young are covered in white, thread-like structures on the dorsal surface of their head and body. These threads develop into feathers. A narrow line extends from the base of the tip from each thread-like structure. The skin of the newborns is black except the belly and mandible area. The chicks rely on the parents for feeding. Centropus sinensis are known to be weak flyers, so their pelvic limb becomes the supporting structure as they’re climbing and walking. Their femur tend to be relatively long with some curvature present. The fibula is reduced in length. Their digits are in a zygodactyl arrangement to aid in climbing trees and grasping food.

Reproduction

Centropus sinensis are known to be monogamous. The pheasants pair during a breeding season, with both the male and female involved in raising the young. Their courtship display involves the male chasing the female on the ground. The male brings gifts such as food to present to the female. Once the female accepts his offerings, the female lowers her tail and drops her wings to signal her acceptance.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

Centropus sinensis breeding season begins after the monsoon season from the months of November to May. However, the temperature can influence the specific region of breeding. Males and females participate in nest building. The nests tend to be dome-shaped and made of grasses, twigs, stems, and leaves of different plants. Other nest shapes may appear to be globular-like or cup-like. These nests are built about six meters above the ground. Centropus sinensis are non-parasitic members in the cuckoo order ( Cuculiformes ). Other members of the order engage in a form of parasitic behavior through nest parasitism. They are known as brood parasites because they lay their eggs in similar-sized nests of other bird species.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• oviparous oviparous

Centropus sinesis exhibit a high level of parental investment. Both male and female birds participate equally in raising their young, known as biparental care. Because female pheasants are slightly bigger than the males, males contribute more in terms of incubation and caring for the offspring. The eggs are incubated by the female for about 15 to 17 days and care for the chicks when hatched. The male contributes by providing food and assisting with egg incubation.

• Parental Investment
• precocial precocial
• male parental care male parental care
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-hatching/birth
  • protecting
    • male

Lifespan/Longevity

The lifespan, or longevity, for Centropus sinensis is about five years in the wild. Most individuals in this species do not live beyond this due to predation, food scarcity, and threats to their environment.

Behavior

Centropus sinensis are weak fliers. They are mostly seen climbing and walking in dense vegetation or on the ground when in pursuit of prey. They may also creep through shrubs in order to steal a bird’s nest for foraging purposes. They are most active during the early mornings when it is warm out and in the late afternoon. They also tend to sunbathe in the mornings, whether by themselves or in pairs, on top of tall vegetation. They have their wings completely spread out when sunbathing. Male birds are territorial and will make a hissing threat call or a harsh scolding sound when threatened.

• Key Behaviors
• scansorial
• terricolous
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• territorial territorial

Home Range

The home range for Centropus sinensis includes the Indian Subcontinent as well as Southeast Asia. Locations containing these pheasant populations include Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Southeast China.

Communication and Perception

Centropus sinensis has a combination of vocal and physical behaviors when communicating with one another. For the vocal aspect of communication, the bird has a deep, resonant call with a good range. The call consists of a low “coop-coop-coop”. When a duet communicates with one another, the call becomes a lot softer. The female in the duet will have a lower pitched call than the male. Other types of calls can include a rapid rattle-like sound or a hissing threat call when defending their territories. Courtship displays engage both the male and female to droop their wings and spread their tails to bond together.

• Communication Channels
• acoustic acoustic

• Other Communication Modes
• duets duets

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Centropus sinensis are mainly omnivorous. Their diet consists of a variety of arthropods, fruits, seeds, and occasional small vertebrates. This includes moths, caterpillars, beetles and dragonflies. The diet can also fluctuate when the season changes. During the fall and winter months, Coleopterans become the most highly consumed, which consist of mainly beetles. During the spring months, moths and caterpillars and beetles made up about 95% of the species’ diet. Some of the occasional small vertebrates consumed includes mice, reptiles, lizards, and snakes. Because they are weak fliers, they are large ground foragers. They spend most of their time searching for food in dense vegetated areas or on the floor. They may also remain hidden secretively in thick shrubs or dense cover to avoid predation.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • eats terrestrial vertebrates
  • insectivore insectivore
• herbivore herbivore
  • frugivore frugivore
  • granivore granivore
• omnivore omnivore

• Animal Foods
• mammals
• reptiles
• insects

• Plant Foods
• seeds, grains, and nuts
• fruit

Predation

Predation of Centropus sinensis is influenced by habitat or environment it resides in. The nests of this species are susceptible to predation by other species of birds, which could lead to the abandonment of the eggs. Centropus sinensis prey on eggs from other nests, making them the primary nest predators of their areas. They can also be susceptible to predation by birds of prey such as eagles or hawks. Spilornis cheela , otherwise known as the crested serpent-eagle, are known to prey on similar-sized birds.

Ecosystem Roles

Centropus sinensis plays a vital role in keeping the balance of its ecosystem. While the pheasant’s diet primarily consists of insects and small arthropods, it also consumes fruits and seeds. This helps disperse seeds by excreting them in different areas, which contributes to increasing plant biodiversity. Centropus sinensis aids in pest control as well. In agricultural areas, the pheasant can consume insects that may be harmful to crops, which may reduce having to use chemical pesticides. They can influence the vegetation structure of their environments by their own foraging behavior and movements.

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds
• creates habitat

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Centropus sinensis can provide resources to help human economies. Where there is demand for wild birds as a food source, local communities may capitalize by hunting Centropus sinensis .

• Positive Impacts
• food food

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

In India, Centropus sinensis is one of the most known bird species that feed on the fleshy mesocarp of ripe oil palm fruits. This results in a heavy fruit loss, ultimately leading to a decrease in the oil yield. Intestinal and gizzard studies have shown that oil palm fruits make up a good amount of their diets in this region. Oil palm is very important crop that contributes to the global production of vegetable oil.

• Negative Impacts
• crop pest

Conservation Status

According to the IUCN Red list, Centropus sinensis are classified as ‘Least Concern’, and are therefore not at immediate risk of extinction. The current population trend for the species is stable and extant in all of its residing regions. There are currently no active recovery plans at the moment, but they are being monitored for conservation purposes.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Vanessa Garcia (author), Texas State University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

References

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