Infrared camera captures courtship ritual of rare bird in SW China’s Yunnan province

Footage captured by an infrared camera at a nature reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan province showed an amorous Lady Amherst’s pheasant, a rare white-crested bird distinguished by its vibrant colors and long tail, trying to charm a female pheasant with his courtship display, including extending his ruff and making hissing-like vocalizations.

In the clip, which was filmed on April 17 this year, the male pheasant fans its feathers and chases after the female bird at the Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in the province’s Deqin county. As the female pheasant tries to trot away, the undeterred male continues to make his move to impress her with his elaborate mating dance.

The precious footage was found after staff members sorted through pictures and video clips shot on infrared cameras set up in the reserve.

The species, included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, is under second-class state protection in China.