Introducing feathered friend Jake the Edwards’s Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi).  Jake's favorite foods are insects, and a pellet that is specially formed for pheasants called gamebird pellet. He also eats chopped lettuce and fruit. The insects Jake dines on are meal worms, super worms, wax worms and crickets. Sometimes during the day you can see him scratching the ground looking for more fun things to eat. He also enjoys making holes to take a dust bath. Jake also spends his time roosting up in a tree. This is where he feels safe to sleep.

Edwards’s pheasants are native to the forests of Vietnam. They are currently listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red list. They have not been spotted in the wild since the year 2000. There was a search in 2011 and none were found. If this is the case they will be the first pheasant species in over 400 years to have gone extinct in the wild. They are threatened by hunters and habitat loss. Conservationists have talked about a captive- breeding plan which may allow us to reintroduce them into the wild. Denver Zoo participates in a Species Survival Plan (SSP) for many different species facing extinction.  An SSP is like a dating service for animals and helps zoos match up animals that will have the most successful offspring. Jake and his mate Isabelle are considered ambassadors for their species and are part of the SSP.  Hopefully one day soon Jake and Isabelle will have chicks and help increase this endangered population.

Come visit Jake at Bird World. Remember to look high and low because he likes to move all around his habitat. You may see him chasing after a cricket or taking a nap in the tree.