Wild Kratts
Golden Pheasant
Clip: Season 4 Episode 17 | 2m 49sVideo has Closed Captions
Martin and Chris discover a golden pheasant, one of the many colorful animals of China
Martin and Chris go on an adventure to find the natural colors of China. They stumble upon a colorful golden pheasant. After observation, they discover what helps the bird keep its bright coat; the bird avoids the sun's ultraviolet light while foraging and feeding and stays in the shade to prevent its coat from fading. Golden pheasant colors are for attracting mates and for mate selection.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Wild Kratts
Golden Pheasant
Clip: Season 4 Episode 17 | 2m 49sVideo has Closed Captions
Martin and Chris go on an adventure to find the natural colors of China. They stumble upon a colorful golden pheasant. After observation, they discover what helps the bird keep its bright coat; the bird avoids the sun's ultraviolet light while foraging and feeding and stays in the shade to prevent its coat from fading. Golden pheasant colors are for attracting mates and for mate selection.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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(Bird squawking) Do you hear that?
Aahh!
What is it?
Wait, my eyes are adjusting to the sunlight.
Yeah, yeah, mine too.
MARTIN: It'’’s... it'’’s a golden pheasant!
Whoa.
And is it ever gold or what?
CHRIS: Oh-ho, it sure is.
And gold is in its name.
That'’’s one golden pheasant.
Scientific name: Chrysolophus pictus.
Wow, even in the shade, the colors are so bright and beautiful.
The gold, the blue, the red, the green.
Oh, and that pattern, check out that pattern.
CHRIS: I love that beautiful green upper back and the rest of the back is golden yellow.
A beautiful red body.
That golden crown.
A chestnut tail.
And look at that blue.
There are so many colors in this bird!
MARTIN: And check out that orange cape.
It'’’s beautiful!
Ho, ho, ho.
♪ Hey, why'’’d he do that?
Do what?
Run out in the sun, grab some berries, then hurry back to the shade.
Forgot to put on his sunscreen?
(Laughing) Well, he obviously doesn'’’t want to stay in the sun too long.
(Beeping) Hey, guys, I think I know why.
Sunlight has beams of ultraviolet light.
Ultraviolet light can bleach or fade color.
BOTH: Hmm... MARTIN: So he leaves the shade, go gets his berries and then rushes back to the shade.
Huh, so for this bird to take such good care of his color, that means color must be very important for golden pheasants.
But why?
I think the answer might have just arrived.
Look, the hen is kind of plain.
MARTIN: Well, yeah, they have to be brown and tan, like the ground and leaves, so they stay hidden when they are sitting on the nest.
AVIVA: That means they need to protect their color.
Because that kind of color is attractive.
The hens love it.
Yes!
So the golden pheasant colors are for attracting mates.
The more colorful, the more attractive.
The most colorful males father the most chicks.
Color can be a really important thing in the creature world.
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