Crestless fireback

Description

Male crestless firebacks are about 38 cm (15 in) in length and females slightly smaller.The face has bare red skin,the bill is greenish in males and black in females,there is no crest,the legs are bluish-grey,with long spurs in males and short spurs in females.The tail is short and either rounded,or the central feathers are shorter than the outer ones.The male has purplish-black plumage,with white vermiculation on the mantle and back,the wings and the side of the breast.The rump is bright chestnut and the upper tail coverts are purple with maroon margins.The tail feathers are cinnamon with black bases.The female crestless fireback is almost completely black with a blue or green gloss and was for some time considered to be a separate species.The head is brownish,paling to nearly white on the throat.Juveniles resemble females but have pale-edged feathers,and young males develop chestnut rumps quite soon.The female is very similar in appearance to the male Salvadori's pheasant (Lophura inornata) which is endemic to Sumatra,but that species tends to inhabit forests at higher altitudes.