#pheasant

[all-iridescent-birds]

What are the biggest and smallest iridescent birds?

Hello dear Anon! As our bird interest is a bit of a new thing, some research was in order to deduct our answer, and we're still not quite sure. However, we've given you our best attempt. For something perhaps more professional, you might want to go to a-dinosaur-a-day, who we believe is actually qualified to talk about this. We're just a guy obsessed with birds.

Now, explanation out of the way -- the smallest we can tell you with certainty. It is the bee hummingbird, a tiny, the smallest, in fact, bird in the world.

The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is only 2 inches long. Females are slightly longer, but only by a small fraction, and usually lay two eggs, with them being the size of coffee beans. Let that sink in. While their iridescent feathers are not as notable as their other hummingbird relatives, they are still there, and still as shiny as ever.

Now, here's where it gets tricky. We're not sure what the biggest iridescent bird is. Taking a guess, we'd say it's the peafowl. But when you look this up, you don't get a concrete answer, which makes sense, because no offense, no one ever asks this question. But don't worry! We side with you here -- we're just as curious.

Well, we've been doing some math here. At first, we were thinking of the microraptor, wondering if a prehistoric bird would count before we remembered the peafowl exists. But we put it to the side. Then, we remembered the resplendant quetzal and its ginormous tail -- we looked around different pages and totaled the tallest possible quetzal to be around 4 foot on the higher end, but it still wasn't enough. So we looked up the peafowl.

The peafowl has 3 types -- all sharing traits but all fairly different in ways. The one we're focusing on right now is the green peafowl.

The green peafowl (Pavo muticus) is the largest peafowl of the three. As its name suggests, it is primarily green, while the indian is primarily a bluish color, and congo variants are kind of brown.

This is the bird we're talking about here. While maybe not in height (but probably in height), it's definitely in length. Males, pictured above, can be 5 feet and 11 inches at lowest to 9 feet 10 inches at highest. And its iridescence is everywhere, from its tail to its beak, basically.

Honestly, we'll be shocked if this isn't the biggest. Wikipedia describes the green peafowl as 'perhaps, the longest extant wild bird in total beak-to-tail length', as well.

We hope this answers your and anyone else's questions, Anon!

TL;DR: It's the bee hummingbird and green peafowl. Probably!

#and take this w a grain of salt #bird #birdblr #avian #iridescent bird #birding #birds #game birds #game bird #pheasant #pheasants #peacock #peafowl #peahen #green peacock #hummingbird #bee hummingbird

[herpsandbirds]

Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), male, family Phasianidae, northern India

Photograph by Ajit Hota

#lophophorus #monal #pheasant #phasianidae #bird #ornithology #asia #animals #herpetology

[maureen2musings]

Winter birds

jukkarisikko

#finland #winter #birds #snow #bohemian waxwing #bullfinch #pheasant #curators on tumblr

[birdblues]

Blood Pheasant

#blood pheasant #pheasant #Ithaginis cruentus #bird #upl

[shelandsorcery]

bird sketches with primatek watercolours and metallic gouache

#watercolour #lammergeier #pheasant #cormorant #sketchbook work

[kirjoart]

Summer field

#bird art #pheasant #summer #birds #original art #digital art #artists on tumblr

[zosiayarn]

da grind never stops ...... it's RING NECKED PHEASANT TIME BAYBEEEE!!

yarn is from the west yorkshire spinners country bird collection !!!!!!!

#yarnblr #knitblr #knitting #sockblr #hand knit #dpns #birding #pheasant #orinthology #birds

[benjithefox]

GIVE MY BOY A PHEASANT!!!!!

#Pleaseeeee #shilo #jrwi shilo #the suckening #jrwi the suckening #jrwi fanart #the suckening fanart #the suckening spoilers #jrwi suckening #the suckening shilo #prince shilo #pheasant #!!!!! #shilo bathory

[l00pys0upy]

#art #artwork #not my art #cute #baby animals #chicken #pheasant

[if-i-eated-soaps]

PTARMIGAN!!!!

@todaysbird

#ptarmigan #bird #birds #birblr #birb #birbs #bird art #my art #pheasant #ifieatedsoaps art

[podartists]

Flying pheasant (1910-1930) | Ohara Koson (1877-1945)

#ohara koson #ohara hōson #japanese art #asian art #animal art #bird art #pheasant

[herpsandbirds]

Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), male, family Phasianidae, northern India

Photograph by Sreeradha Rai

#monal #pheasant #lophophorus #phasianidae #galliform #bird #ornithology #animals #nature #asia

[natureisthegreatestartist]

What's this? A male Cabot's tragopan, a type of pheasant from China. Bizarre and beautiful, right?

#Animals #pheasant #cabot's tragopan #bizarre animals #weird and wonderful #freaky and fabulous #unusual birds #living art

[birdblues]

Bulwer’s Pheasant

#bulwers pheasant #bulwers wattled pheasant #pheasant #Lophura bulweri #bird #upl

[tanuki-kimono]

Fantastic antique outfit starring an unusual red haori showing warrior monk Benkei vs young Ushiwakamaru (future Yoshitsune) famous showdown on a bridge.

It's styled over a warm tones autumn-themed outfit, pairing a kimono with red maple leaves over clouds and kumihimo ropes ground, and a glorious obi depicting a pheasant taking flight over a sunrise.

#japan #fashion #kimono #obi #haori #benkei #Ushiwakamaru #Minamoto no Yoshitsune #momiji #maple leaves #autumn leaves #koyo #kouyou #kiji #pheasant #autumn in japan #着物 #帯 #羽織

[georgeouthwaite]

At a Pheasant’s Wake

October

Digital Painting

#art #Illustration #painting #digital painting #pheasant