Nepal Kalijs

T

Terra Firma

Member
Hi everyone, i have been sourcing some Kalij pheasants from around the country as i feel they will eventually die out of existence here in Australia . I have been working with my good friend in America who is an authority on Gallinates from around the globe. Can anyone tell me which zoo originally brought them into the country? Thanks, Terra.
 
Hi Terra, I could be wrong here, but I doubt if a zoo was responsible for original importations. Prior to World War 2, Australia was open to any bird importation, and the original birds would probably have been brought in for the general market. Even if a zoo had origionally imported birds it is unlikely that there are records from that far back. None have (legally) been imported since WW2.
 
Adelaide Zoo could well have imported them. You might like to enquire with their records officer if they have any records of them. But that doesn't guarantee they were the "first" or that these birds were the ancestors of the birds now in Australia, even if that does seem likely.
 
Adelaide Zoo has had a wonderful representation of pheasants over the years.

As regards the various kalij pheasants, it first displayed Black-breasted kalij (Lophura lathami) in 1892; Nepal kalij (Lophura leucomelana leucomelana) in 1934 and White-crested kalij (Lophura leucomelana hamiltoni) in 1936.

As for other Lophura pheasants, Adelaide first displayed Silvers in 1884; Viellot's Crested Firebacks in 1886; Swinhoe's in 1892; Crestless Firebacks in 1936; Siamese Firebacks in 1937 and Edward's in 1944.

(I got all this stuff from a book called "Royal Zoological Society of South Australia 1878-1978").
 
Which pheasants species can still be found in Australian zoos and how common are these? and also is there any specific zoo which has had any great breeding succes with some species in the last couple of years?

Is pheasants more common in private hands than they are on zoos. I remeber seing firebacks (Siamese?) at Adelaide in the late 1990s, any of those still remaning.
 
Thanks Ara, kiglezi, i have a pair of pheasants which were air freighted from Tasmania a few weeks ago which have turned out to be Black backed/white breasted kalij-not Nepal’s as i was told they were. I'm quite sure the Siamese Fireback will eventually die out of existence unless new stock is introduced, which is unlikely. We will never know for sure how many Firebacks remain in Australia which is such a shame for the dedicated aviculturist. I was offered a pair of Siamese from WA a few months back for $2000.00 a pair; i could not part with that sort of money on pheasants that may fail to make the trip from Western Australia to Brisbane.
 
Taronga has on display Lady Amhearst, Golden and a Kalij I believe to be Nepal Kalij (photos in the gallery). IN the past they have had Silver, Reeves, Firebacks and Himalayan Monal.

I've seen Golden, Silver and Reeves for sale at Bird Sales in the past few years too.

:)

Hix
 
kiglezi said:
Which pheasants species can still be found in Australian zoos and how common are these? and also is there any specific zoo which has had any great breeding succes with some species in the last couple of years?
Is pheasants more common in private hands than they are on zoos. I remeber seing firebacks (Siamese?) at Adelaide in the late 1990s, any of those still remaning.
Click to expand...
here's an old thread on pheasants in Australian zoos (but only the first few posts on the first page are worth reading)
http://www.zoochat.com/24/pheasants-australia-5565/

and yes pheasants are far more common in private hands than in zoos
 
Good on you, Terra Firma, for taking on pheasants - it seems to me that there are less and less people keeping them as back yards shrink in size, and that's not good. Are you on acres?

I used to keep goldens and common ringnecks (which are a beautiful bird themselves.) When I was a teenager (many moons ago) I had a golden male called Max who was very tame, unlike most pheasants.

I always wanted Siamese firebacks, but could never justify the expense. (They are about 10 times the cost of other pheasants, due to their rarity in Australia.) I'll get 'em when I win lotto!
 
Hi Ara, i have no doubt certain birds will eventually die out of existence here due to our ban on importation, urban sprawl etc. Unfortunately there seems to be little interest within the younger generation in Galliformes that i have witnessed in my location here in Queensland, such a shame. Kalijs introduced to Hawaii seem to doing fine in the wild although there have been concerns regarding this introduced species; I live on ten acres here Ara, Terra.
 
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Terra Firma said:
Hi Ara, i have no doubt certain birds will eventually die out of existence here due to our ban on importation, urban sprawl etc. Unfortunately there seems to be little interest within the younger generation in Galliformes that i have witnessed in my location here in Queensland, such a shame. Kalijs introduced to Hawaii seem to doing fine in the wild although there have been concerns regarding this introduced species; I live on ten acres here Ara, Terra.
Click to expand...

Good luck on your pheasant hunt. Did you go the bird sale at the RNA showgrounds yesterday. Shame that the pair from Tassie weren't what you were after.
Do you keep other birds?
 
Jay, i had to work Saturday night although i had a chat to one of my friends who had just returned. At present i don't have a big collection, Mandarins, Scaup, Shelducks, Kalijs, Spinifex Pigeons, Guinea Fowl, Peafowl Pair. I'm not disappointed in the Kalij from Tasmania; they are stunning birds, especially the male, Terra.
 
There's a bit of a story to that; some years ago I saw a copy in a library in the Sydney suburb of Ryde. It was a reference book only- you weren't allowed to borrow it.

I spent a couple of hours reading it at the library, until they kicked me out (they wanted to close.) The first section is the complete history of Adelaide zoo. The second half of the book looks at the various orders of mammals, birds and reptiles species by species and their history at Adelaide zoo. It's just a brilliant book for a zoo enthusiast and includes old photos too. The author was C.E.Rix, former head of the Dept. of Lands, Sth Australia and a member of the Zoological Society. He wrote the book after he retired, and it was published at the zoo's centenary in 1978.

Next time I went back to the library the book was not there. I made enquiries and was told that it had been donated to Taronga zoo. I therefore wrote to the Zoological Society of South Australia to ask about buying a copy. In return I received a letter signed by Ed McAlister, C.E.O. of Adelaide zoo, advising me that it had been out of print for years but occasionally showed up in second hand bookshops. Mr. McAlister said that if he saw one he would buy it for me. "Sure Sure " I thought, and forgot about it.

Six years later I got a letter from him telling me that he had found a copy for me! I was amazed! The man was as good as his word. I sent him what he had paid for it and he sent it to me.

Check on the internet. If you can get a copy it's worth it- the best zoo book I've ever read.
 
Yeah I found a couple of copies for sale and some at libraries, it is a shame you can't borrow the ones at the library, thanks.
 
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