Pheasants and Partridges (Phasianidae)

Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) - HBW 2, p. 525

French: Ithagine ensanglantée German: Blutfasan Spanish: Faisán Ensangrentado

Taxonomy: Phasianus cruentus Hardwicke, 1821, Nepal.
Considerable intergradation between most of the described races suggests that much of the variation observed is probably clinal, and therefore the validity of many races is dubious; race affinis doubtfully distinct from nominate cruentus, as is holoptilus from rocki, and annae from berezowskii. Fourteen subspecies usually recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

cruentus (Hardwicke, 1821) - Nepal.
affinis Beebe, 1912 - NE India (Sikkim).
tibetanus Stuart Baker, 1914 - E Bhutan and SE Tibet.

See all 14 subspecies

cruentus (Hardwicke, 1821) - Nepal.
affinis Beebe, 1912 - NE India (Sikkim).
tibetanus Stuart Baker, 1914 - E Bhutan and SE Tibet.
kuseri Beebe, 1912 - NE India (Upper Assam) and SE Tibet.
geoffroyi J. Verreaux, 1867 - SE Tibet.
marionae Mayr, 1941 - border between Burma and China, in region of Yunnan.
rocki Riley, 1925 - CS China (Mekong Valley, NW Yunnan).
holoptilus Greenway, 1933 - CS China (only known from Lichiang District in Yunnan).
clarkei Rothschild, 1920 - CS China (Lichiang Range, NW Yunnan).
michaelis Bianchi, 1903 - NC China (NW Gansu).
beicki Mayr & Birckhead, 1937 - NC China (N Gansu).
berezowskii Bianchi, 1908 - C China (S Gansu and N Sichuan).
annae Mayr & Birckhead, 1937 - WC China (NW Sichuan).
sinensis David, 1873 - C China (Tsinling Mts, Shaanxi).