Mikado pheasants live high in the mountains, between 2,000 and 3,000 metres up - higher than most other birds in Taiwan. They walk slowly through the foggy forest, eating berries, seeds, insects and tender new leaves. The mist gives them excellent cover. People who study them call them 'birds of the mist'.
The Mikado pheasant is so shy that for years almost nobody saw one alive. A scientist in 1906 was given tail feathers by a hunter in the mountains. Those feathers were so unusual that the bird had to be a new species. Even today, photographers sometimes wait for hours, perfectly still, hoping for a single glimpse.
When a male pheasant wants to impress a female, he puffs out his chest, fans out his striped tail and shows off his shimmering feathers. The white stripes on his tail look amazing in the soft mountain light. The female then chooses the partner whose dance impresses her most.
The Mikado pheasant is so loved in Taiwan that it appears on the back of the thousand-Taiwan-dollar banknote. Generations of children have grown up seeing this bird every time their parents pay for something - even though they will probably never see one in real life.