Pheasants and Chickens

On the edge of the rain forests in Xishuangbanna, people could often see a gray hen takes some chicks to look for food; at the sight of people, they would run into the forests immediately. They are the pheasants. The feather of male pheasants is quite bright, they often fly very low in the forests, and they sing like "chahua duoduo"; therefore, people call them Chahua pheasants（Gallus gallus spadiceus）. Since the destruction of forests and the abused hunting, the pheasants have now become a specie in danger. 

In the villages of the local folks, we could see groups of chickens here and there. These chickens are quite small, but the color of their feathers is quite similar with that of pheasants. There is a short-legged specie, with a weight of about half a kilogram; when the cocks crow, the sound is quite similar with that of pheasants. The minority villages in Xishuangbanna all situate in the sea of the forests, and the chickens raised at home often run into the forests to look for food; so it is inevitable for them to crossbreed with pheasants. These home raised chickens have the genes of the pheasants; they keep smaller body shapes, and have very good capacity of flying and anti-diseases. Besides, their flesh is extremely delicious, and the tourists to Xishuangbanna particularly want to have a try of such native chickens. 

The villagers sometimes come back with some pheasants'eggs and they would let the home raised hens to hatch the eggs. So, sometimes, we may see a hen takes a group pheasant chicks. These chicks still have the habits of their parents; they are afraid of people and are good at flying. The hunters often raise such chicks in cages and take them on when they go hunting in the forests. The crows of these home raised pheasants could induce the pheasants out, thus, these pheasants are also called "tricking pheasants". 

As the people's consciousness of environment protection intensifies, the pheasants, like other wild animals, are protected in the natural protection areas of Xishuangbanna. In the recent years, the local minorities of Xishuangbanna have gradually understood the hunting prohibition measures; they seldom go hunting now, and the tricking pheasants also become something in the past. All people hope pheasants and home raised chickens could live in the vast seas of the forests, and hope that the useful genes of them could be used by people to upgrade home raised chickens.