Dec 10, 2010: Satyr Tragopan

[xoxoxoBruce]

Satyr Tragopan is a fancyass Pheasant from Asia, if that makes finding recipes easier.

Head almost completely feathered and black, a band on each side of the crest, the sides of the neck, the upper back, shoulders, and upper breast, deep crimson red; rest of under parts crimson, with black and white ocelli, becoming larger and greyish on the abdomen and flanks; under tail coverts red, with brown-lined white ocelli, and two larger olive ones on the sides; longer tail-coverts brown with subterminal mottled dark brown and buff, the tip of tail black. Iris brown; bill black; bare skin of throat dark blue; lappet blue in the middle, pale green on the margins, with four or five triangular scarlet patches on each side; fleshy horns blue; the lappet extends to a length of 100 mm and the horns to 75 mm during display; legs pink. The tail is proportionally longer than other Tragopans.

The hen is brown.

The courtship display transformation is worthy of the best Hollywood special effects.



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