Impeyan Pheasant
Locally known as dafai, or the bird of nine colors, this is the national bird of Nepal and is found in the high altitudes of the Hymalayas
, inhabiting the rocky crags and gorges up near the tree line. Winters are brutal and they typically forage in small groups digging for tubers on the icey slopes. When the sun shines, the reflection off the matalic feathers of males blends in with the ice and they are perfectly camofloged.
Lophophorus impejanus
Tying with Impeyan Pheasant Feathers
Classically, Impeyan is used on the Bronze Pirate. Specifically, the copper colored nape feathers make up the body veilings and the crest feathers are used for part of the wing. However, for the artistic/creative tier there’s a whole lot more feathers to utilize.
The green iridescent pointed feathers below the nape can be used for sides, cheeks, body veilings, tail veilings, etc. The wings are covered with a lot of blue chrome feathers that can be used just about everywhere for the same uses as above. The back and wing coverts are of a bluish-purple color and make great full feather wing flies.
There are hardly any feathers on this bird that a creative mind could find a use for. That goes as well for the crafter looking for some outrageous colored feathers for that special project. Although not often used for this purpose, the tail fibers can be use in married wings.
The female Impeyan’s tails make a great Gled Kite sub. The Gled Kite is a protected species being a bird of prey
- Feathers
- full skins-males
- full skins-females
- fly patterns
- links to other exotics
Click on either image below for a larger window to open. There you will find each pair of feathers labeled.
Feather Assortments - Male
All nine colors in one assortment! There are different selections you can choose from, the largest being 70 feathers.
small neck feathers - $25/10 pairs mixed sized neck feathers - $20/10 pairs full assortment - $50/set |
Feather Assortments - Female
Hens are always understated, the feather patterning is so intricite and the coloring so varied. Here are a few different feather selections to get you started.
small neck feathers- $15/10 pairs tail quills - $10/pair full assortment - $30/set |
Full Skins - Males
Here is a male in perfect breeding plumage. The colors are vibrant, no chipping or wear, and even though the picture does not show the crest, the feathers are there.
$500 |
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| neck | shoulders | tail |
Full Skins - Female
You can tell quite a bit about a bird if you know what time of year they molt and the pattern that fethers are droped and regrown.
When pheasants molt, the last feathers to come in are the tails and necks. And when they molt their tails the feathers drop in pairs starting with the outermost and work twords the center. So the last feathers to come back in are the two center tails.
This hen is just coming out of the molt, notice how the center tails are just coming in? And the next pair is just a bit longer.
I mention this because the feathers on this bird are in perfect color, just molted, there is no damage from sun bleeching or wear on the tips. It is in as good a feather as you'll find in an Impeyan hen
$275 |
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| neck | wing | tail |
I'm looking for pictures of flies and the recipies you used to tie them. Please give me a call or email me for more information.
Thanks!
Himalayan Habitat
Monal Hen
Displaying
Female Feather Patterning
Breeding Male
Notice the neck feathering on the male, the copper olive and black are seperated by a matalic blue strip.