Fanica and Sylvia

Fanica (Lophura Diardi).

In 2001 I went to visit Bobby Coldiron, a friend of mine in Milano, TX. I was there to help him sex his Vulturine Guineafowl and look at some of his other birds. Among them he had quite a few Siamese Fireback Pheasants. Looking at them I noticed that one of the males was very stressed and it would be wise to get him out of there. I asked Bobby to sell me a pair and he agreed for $125. I was not familiar at all with these pheasants but I was gonna give them a try. He boxed them for me and I took them back to Dallas. When I got home I realized that the male pheasant was under so much stress that he couldn't walk anymore. I called my vet and he told me that the pheasant has a hyperactive adrenaline gland and he needs a quiet place to recover. I did as the vet said and late next day he started walking again, though slow, stumbling a lot. In time he regained full use of his legs and he is an extremely funny bird, though aggressive. He is the watchdog of the aviary. I am the only human that can go inside without being attacked. He loves to run around all the time displaying and inflating his red cheeks, calling out every time he sees something out of the ordinary. His spurs are very long and sharp and I came to know how much they can hurt twice. He is very gentle with the other birds. He definitely brings a lot of life and character to our avian community.

Sylvia (Lophura Diardi).

At the same time I found Fanica, I saw Sylvia too. She had very crooked toes and was chased around by the other females. I asked Bobby what happened to her and he told me her toes got broken accidentally when she was a chick and he smashed them with the door. I accepted the story though I expected genetic issues to be the cause. I guess I will never know. She was a very hyper, jumpy bird and it took 2 years before she tamed enough to accept food from my hand. Now she is living a happy life, on grass, with plenty of cover, and without the stress of being continuously chased. Her and Fanica are the perfect married couple.