散文佳作108篇 第30期:珍禽血雉 China's Native Pheasant

China's Native Pheasant

在陜西省西部，有一山高林密、生物資源豐富的太白山，海拔I 3, 767米，是秦嶺山脈的主峰。我國特有的秦嶺血雉就主要出產在這里，故又稱太白雞。

The Qinling blood pheasant, also known as the Taibai chicken, lives mostly I in the dense forestsof the 3,767-meter-high Taibai Mountain—the main I peak of the Qinling Mountain Range.

秦嶺血雉，形似家雞而略小。雄鳥頭部褐中雜灰，部分羽毛向后j 延伸成羽冠;下胸是鮮草綠色,尾羽因部位而異，有褐灰、緋紅、灰_ 白、褐黑等多種色彩。雌鳥則以褐色為主。

The bird is a bit smaller than a chicken. The head of the male bird is covered with brown andgray feathers, which extend backwards to form a crest. Its [chest is grass-green and its tailvaries from brown to crimson, grayish white, i and black. The female bird’s plumage ispredominantly brown.

它們生活在高寒山區(qū)，常分布于海拔1,800-3,200米的針闊-混交林和針葉林中;結群性較強，少時6-8只，人冬則結成40-50只的大群;見人不懼，常在林間羊腸小道上昂首闊步。每年四月底至七月初是繁殖期，這時秦嶺血雉筑巢于高山草叢或石洞中，每窩產卵6-8枚，孵化期29天。雛鳥出殼后，跟隨親鳥生活，直到冬天。血雉活動范圍隨季節(jié)變化而做有規(guī)律的遷移，不善飛行但奔跑疾速，夜間在樹上過夜。它們的食物在夏秋是莎草科和禾本科的草葉、種子，忍冬的花朵，金背杜鵑的花以及蘑菇和少量昆蟲等;冬春二季因冰雪覆 蓋，以苔蘚為主。

Qinling blood pheasants are usually found in the pine forests of the frigid alpine belt 1,800 to3,200 meters above sea level. They move in groups of at least six or eight birds, and in winter aflock may have as many as 40 or 50 pheasants. They are not afraid of people, and sometimesthey can be found strolling along forest trails. Mating season runs from late April to earlv July.The pheasants build their nests in alpine meadows or in caves, and after laying six to eighteggs, the female bird begins to brood for 29 days. The young birds live with their parents untilwinter, then the family makes its seasonal migration. The bird does not fly well, but it runsvery fast. It sleeps in trees and feeds during summer and autumn on leaves and sedge or grassseeds, honeysuckle and azalea flowers, mushrooms, and a few insects. In winter and spring,when the alpine belt is icebound, it mostly eats moss.

秦嶺血雉是我國珍貴的保護鳥類之一，羽毛美麗，可供觀賞。 由于數量稀少，環(huán)境適應性差，目前國內外動物園中還未見飼養(yǎng)展出。

The Qinling blood pheasant is listed as a rare bird under special protection. Despite itsbeautiful plumage, the bird has never been displayed in zoos because of its scarcity andinability to adapt to new environments.