Birds Thru My Eyes : MALAYSIA: Malayan Crested Fireback

Sunday, 10 July 2016

Malayan Crested Fireback

Order - Galliformes
Family - Phasianidae (Pheasants, Partridges, Turkeys, Grouse)

Malayan Crested Fireback

Lophura rufa

马来亚凤冠火背鹇 (mǎ-lái-yà fèng-guàn huǒ-bèi xián)

Malay : Pegar Tatera

Japanese : コシアカキジ [rufa] (koshi-aka kiji [rufa])

Kanji 日語漢字 : 腰赤雉

  Extent of Occurrence (resident/breeding) : 1,320,000km²
  Migratory Status : Not a Migrant
  Breeding Endemic : No

Taxonomy update for 2022

Crested Fireback is split into two species, based on substantial differences in plumage (del Hoyo and Collar 2014, Eaton et al. 2016). Note that although apparent hybrids have been reported (Delacour 1949, van Marle and Voous 1988), apparently pure birds occur very near this region (Eaton et al. 2016); it also is possible that these reports of birds with intermediate characters were based on trade skins of captive hybrids, rather than a wild population (F. Rheindt).

As a result the monotypic group Crested Fireback (Malayan)
Lophura ignita rufa becomes Malayan Crested Fireback Lophura rufa;
and the monotypic group Crested Fireback (Bornean)
Lophura ignita ignita becomes Bornean Crested Fireback Lophura ignita. :

- Malayan Crested Firedback (Lonchura rufa)
- Bornean Crested Fireback (Lonchura ignita)

Size : Male c. 70 cm (tail 24–29 cm), 1.81–2.5 kg;

Female 56–57 cm (tail 17–20 cm), 1.35–1.6 kg

Subspecies and Distribution

Monotypic. (Raffles, 1822, Sumatra, type from either Benkoelen or Padang)

– The Malayan Crested Fireback occurs on the Thai-Malay Peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra, and on Sumatra. On the Peninsula it occurs from Melaka and northeast Johor north to approximately 10°30’N, including the southernmost tip of Myanmar; it is not known from any of the Peninsula’s small offshore islands. The species is widespread in suitable habitat throughout and Sumatra.