17 December 2025

The male golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), native to forests in western China, is one of the showiest birds on earth. He’s bright red, orange, yellow and blue with a tail twice as long as his body and a black-and-orange ruff that displays to cover his face, except for his eyes.

His beauty is aimed to impress the ladies. Female golden pheasants prefer outrageous males so their mate selection drives male plumage evolution. Fortunately the males don’t incubate eggs. The females are dull colored for camouflage on the nest.

Birds hunted by predators usually have a wide field of view so they can see danger coming from every angle. Pheasants, like pigeons in the diagram below, usually see almost 360° without turning their heads.

But not the male golden pheasant. His fancy head feathers block his field of view above and behind his head. If you can’t see at least one of his eyes, he can’t see you. This guy has a huge blind spot.

Golden pheasants are not the only species with this problem. Male Lady Amherst’s pheasants (Chrysolophus amherstiae) also have a blind spot, especially when they display.

Find out more in the New York Times: He’s Beautiful, but He Has a Huge Blind Spot.