Reeves Pheasant

Locally refered to as "Chi-chi", this long tailed bird was named after the English naturalist John R. Reeves. They typically inhabit valleys with steep sided canyons in evergreen forests. However, due to habitat destruction and illegal hunting for the males tail feathers, the wild population is now under two thousand birds. Males tend to be aggressive and vocal, their voice being an unmistakable musical warble.

Syrmaticus reevesii - tail plumes

Tying with Reeves Pheasant Feathers

One of the largest members of the pheasant family, the tail on this bird can reach lenths of over eight feet long. It has recently been recognized by the Guiness book pf world records as having the longest feather of any bird. A record previously held by the Crested Argus.

Colored in rich earth tones of brown, umber, burnt sienna, ochre and white, this bird has great potential to the creative/artistic salmon tier. Intricate and abstract patterns abound, giving inspiration for unique flies.

These feathers have always been popular with crafters and jewery designers, the dark edged ochre body feathers make great earrings.

full skins - males
full skins - females
fly patterns
links to other pheasants

Reeves Male

Unfortunatly, there was not enough room to get the whole tail in this picture.The tail on this guy is almost 6 feet long!

Although there are no recognized subspecies, males do tent to vary a bit in coloring. Some are lighter, some are darker. This bird would be considered to be on the darker side.

Notice the nice white cap on the top of this bird's head. Today, many captive bred males are starting to show some black flecking. It's not a sign of impurity, more likely a result of inbreeding due to the limited genetic pool available.

Although quite common in captivity, saddly, it's only a matter of time before this bird will be ESA listed.

A quick note, if you're looking for a less expensive skin to work with, I do have others, but nothing with a 6 foot tail....


$225

Reeves Female

Almost grouse-like in appearence, this specimen is in excellent condition. The feathering is prime and the color a perfect representation of what a good Reeves hen should look like.


$125

I'm looking for pictures of flies and the recipies you used to tie them. Please give me a call or email me for more information.

Thanks!

<malayan peacock pheasant> Pheasants

All pheasants are native to Asia. There are 52 different breeds of these beautiful birds, 17 of which are listed as endangered.

Habitat destruction and hunting has reduced the number of these birds in the wild. The Hainan Peacock Pheasant, thought to be a subspecies of the grey, is one of these and is one of the most endangered birds in all of China. Today it is at greater risk of extinction than even the Giant Panda.

None listed here are in such danger - but with habitat destruction and population growth, it's just a matter of time.

Breeds:

Tragopans, Monals & Koklass
	Satyr	Temmink's	Impeyan	Koklass
Gallopheasants
	True Silver Lewis Silver	Crawfurd's/Lineated Dark Feathered Kalij	Bornean Firebacks Malayan Firebacks	Siamese Fireback
Long-tailed & True Pheasants
	Reeves	Copper	Ringneck	Designer Ringnecks
Ruffed & Eared Pheasants
	Golden	Lady Amherst	Blue Eared
Peacock Pheasants
	Great Argus Malayan	Grey	Germain's	Rothschild's
Cross-breeds
	Am-Gold	Silver x Reeves