HELP!!! What the heck is it???

[alexgirl73]

I need some help identifying a pic of a bird my SIL sent me this afternoon. TBH, when she first sent it I thought it was a wind up, but she swears it isnt. I tried to get onto photobucket to upload the pic but it wont let me:evil:

The description is as follows. The bird is roughly the same size as a chicken, it has a red/orange crest and a black and white striped neck. A yellow and orange underbelly with blue? wings and a striped long tail! I have never seen anything like this in my life adn neither has she lol. She has contacted the local paper to see if anyone has reported an exotic bird missing but no luck. They have taken a copy of the pic and will be running an article on it. Does anyone have any idea of what it could be?

If I manage to get the pic uploaded I will put it on here

[Jac]

Sounds like something you see after too much to drink. Hic:lol:

[alexgirl73]

this is what she saw!! Finally managed to track down a pic of it this morning lol. It's an impure male lady amherst pheasant. Not the sort of thing you think of seeing on a cold octber day in Cumbernauld!!!

http://www.birdguides.com/html/vidlib/species/Chrysolophus_amherstiae.htm#

[Grete]

What amazing colours it has! I think if I'd seen that I would have assumed I'd had too much to drink ;)

[Mags]

What a beautiful bird Alex, I just wish I had seen it too!:D

[alexgirl73]

she's contacting a local falconry and bird centre nearby to see if they have lost one. But according to that website, there is actually a feral colony of around 100 - 200 birds in bedfordshire area!!

[yola]

Wow! What a vivid-coloured pheasant! I know some of the males can be colourful but I've never seen one quite like that. Glad you got to the bottom of what it was :D

[dandysmom]

That's a stunning bird! But why is it called "impure"......?????

[Kay]

That is really beautiful. We have loads of pheasants on the island but I have never seen one like that.

[alexgirl73]

That's a stunning bird! But why is it called "impure"......?????

not sure tbh Eileen, but I think it means its a young male and not fully mature. The mature male has a white belly, not the yellow/reddish one on that bird!

[borderdawn]

There are a lot in the wild now, escaped from private collections, impure because they are not natural colours, perhaps a "hybrid"

[alexgirl73]

ah! thanks for clearing that up Dawn, I did wonder.

[dandysmom]

Thanks, Dawn! I was having not exactly PC thoughts... :-D

[borderdawn]

Thanks, Dawn! I was having not exactly PC thoughts... :-D
:shock: :shock: :shock:

[dandysmom]

You don't want to know, Dawn!!! :-D :-D :-D