The Siamese fireback (''Lophura diardi''), also known as Diard's fireback, is a fairly large, approximately long,

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...

. The male has a grey plumage with an extensive facial caruncle, crimson legs and feet, ornamental black crest feathers, reddish brown iris and long curved blackish tail. The female is a brown bird with blackish wings and tail feathers. The Siamese fireback is distributed to the lowland and evergreen forests of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. However, in June 2025, the bird was spotted naturally in the forest area of

Ranikhet Ranikhet ( Kumaoni: ) is a hill station and cantonment town, near Almora Town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the home of the Military Hospital, Kumaon Regiment (KRC) and Naga Regiment and is maintained by the Ind ...

, a popular tourist destination in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. This species is also designated as Thailand's

national bird This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status. The column is marked a ...

. The female usually lays between four and eight rosy eggs.

Naming

The scientific name commemorates the French

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

Pierre-Médard Diard. This species of pheasant has a common name in Thai ''Kai Fah Phaya Lo'' (; Lord Lo's pheasant), according to Thai folk literature, '' Lilit Phra Lo'' where Phra Lo, the protagonist, is charmed by following the pheasant until he meets Phra Phuean and Phra Phaeng, the two sisters and later his lovers.

Status

Due to habitat loss and over-hunting in some areas, the Siamese fireback was evaluated as Near Threatened on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

; however, it is now Least Concern.

Gallery

Image:Siamese Fireback RWD.jpg Image:Lophura diardi -Florida, USA -captive-8a.jpg, Siamese fireback in captivity - Florida, USA

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet

Red Data BookEbird
{{Taxonbar, from=Q839857 Siamese fireback Birds of Laos Birds of Vietnam Birds of Cambodia Birds of Thailand Birds of Indochina Siamese fireback National symbols of Thailand Siamese fireback

Naming

Status

Gallery

See also

References

External links