ZERAFSHAN PHEASANT 



Phasianus colchictis zerafshanicus Tarnovski 



Names. — Subspecific : zerafshanicus, after its habitat, the valley of Zerafshan, English : Zerafshan 

 Pheasant. 



Type. — Locality : Valley of Zerafshan. Describer : Tarnovski. Place of Description : The Field, 

 LXXVII. 1891, p. 409. 



Subspecific Characters. — This is the most eastern of the small group of rufous-bellied pheasants. It 

 resembles persicus in the colour of its breast and mongolicus in the presence of a white collar. Both of these 

 characters separate it from birds of the principalis group. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



The Valley of Zerafshan in Bokhara ; the northern boundary separating it from 

 Uircestanicus is the watershed of the Zerafshan and the Syr-Daria rivers ; on the south 

 the Gissar Mountains separate it from bianchii ; to the west zarudnyi nearly meets it 

 as at times of high water the Zerafshan floods nearly to the Amu-Daria. 



GENERAL ACCOUNT 



The only information we have concerning this pheasant is given by its discoverer, 

 Lieutenant Tarnovski. He says : " The Pheasant of the Zarafshan has a mode of life 

 totally differing from its other Asiatic brethren, owing to the high state of cultivation 

 of the Zarafshan Valley ; it breeds and nests in reed-swamps and marshes bordering 

 on this stream, and takes its food from the neighbouring fields and gardens. The best 

 time for obtaining it is just before sunrise, when it may be found congregated in the 

 reed-swamps mentioned above. Mr. Klossovski shot, in November 1890, a hen of this 

 species in male plumage." 



SYNONYMY 



Phasianus zerafshanicus Tarnovski, The Field, LXXVII. 1891, p. 409; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXII, 

 1893, p. 326 ; Grant, Hand-book Game-birds, Vol. II. 1897, P- i/ ; Sharpe, Hand-list Birds, Vol. I. 1899, p. 37 ; 

 Buturlin, Ibis, 1904, p. 391 ; Carruthers, Ibis, 1910, p. 472, pi. VII. 



Phasianus klossowskii Tarnovski, The Field, LXXVII. 1891, p. 409; Zarudny, Orn. Faun. Transcasp., 1896, 

 p. 483. 



Phasiajius principalis, var. Klossowskii Zarudny, Note on a new subspecies of Pheasant, 1891, p. i. 



Phasianus tarnovskii Seebohm, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1892, p. 271. 



Phasianus zarafshanicus Dresser, Manual Palae. Birds, 1903, p. 661 (subsp. oi Ph. persicus). 



Phasianus colchicus zerafshanicus Rothschild, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, XIV. 1904, p. 37 ; Hartert, Nov. Zool. 

 XXIV. 1917, p. 450. 



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