for food (a diet of various fruit, leaves, vegetation, seeds and invertebrates) at the same time, in a manner similar to chickens, on the forest floor and mountain trails, especially on rainy and foggy days. Breeding The breeding season of Mikado pheasants lasts from March to June. Mikado pheasants build their nests mainly with dead branches, fallen leaves, dry grass and feathers in tree holes or depressions under rocks. Females usually lay three to eight creamy-coloured eggs at one time and it is they who are solely responsible for the incubation of the eggs (which take about 26–28 days to hatch) and the nurture of fledglings, once they are born. The young are usually independent by six months the latest. Status and conservation There are some Mikado pheasants bred in captivity, but there are only about 10,000 individuals in the wild, particularly in the Yushan National Park. Heavy hunting pressure was a problem in the past, but is not a serious threat today. The Mikado pheasant is evaluated as near threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Under protection numbers have increased with numbers within Yushan National Park increasing from 5,000 in 1986 to more than 10,000 in 2020. There are also significant recovered populations in Shei-Pa National Park and Taroko National Park. See also List of protected species in Taiwan List of endemic species of Taiwan List of endemic birds of Taiwan References Bridgman, C. L., Alexander, P. & Chen, L. S. (1997). Mikado's pheasant home range in secondary growth habitats of Yushan national park, Taiwan. ''Proceedings of the first international symposium on Galliformes'', Kuala Lumpur., Severinghaus, S. R. (1977). ''A study of the Swinhoe’s and Mikado Pheasant in Taiwan with recommendations for their conservation.'' PhD thesis. Cornell University, Ithaca. External links BirdLife Species Factsheet gbwf.org - Mikado Pheasant Mikado pheasant Endemic birds of Taiwan Mikado pheasant Taxa named by William Robert Ogilvie-Grant