Pheasant
The Common Pheasant is native to Asia but it has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird. In parts of its range, namely in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe (where it is naturalised), it is simply known as the Pheasant.
Body weight of the Pheasant can range from 1.1 to 6.6 pounds, with males averaging 2.6 pounds and females averaging 2 pounds
The adult male Pheasant is 24 to 35 inches in length with a long brown streaked black tail, accounting for almost 20 inches of the total length. The body plumage is barred bright gold or fiery copper-red and chestnut-brown with an iridescent sheen of green and purple. The wings are white or cream and black-barred markings are common on the tail. The head is bottle green with a small crest and distinctive red wattling. The female Pheasant is much less showy with a duller mottled brown plumage all over and measuring 20 to 25 inches long including a tail of around 8 inches. Juveniles have the appearance of the female with a shorter tail until young males begin to grow characteristic bright feathers on the breast, head and back at about 10 weeks after hatching.
There are many colour forms of the male Pheasant, ranging in colour from nearly white to almost black in some melanistic examples. These are due to captive breeding and hybridisation between sub-species reinforced by continual releases of stock from varying sources to the wild.
The Pheasant is native to Asia with its original range extending from between the Black and Caspian Seas to Manchuria, Siberia, Korea, mainland China and Taiwan. It can now be found across the globe due to its readiness to breed in captivity and the fact it can naturalise in many climates. At least since the Roman Empire, the Pheasant has been extensively introduced in many places and it has become a naturalised species in Europe, including throughout most of the UK where successive introductions have led to it becoming well adapted to the climate and able to breed naturally in the wild without human supervision on farmland and in copses, heaths, scrub, commons and wetlands.
The Pheasant nests solely on the ground in scrapes lined with some grass and leaves, frequently under dense cover or a hedge. Occasionally it will nest in a haystack or in an old nest left by other birds. The male is polygynous and is often accompanied by a harem of several females. A clutch of around 8 to 15 eggs is laid during April to June, sometimes as many as 18 but usually 10 to 12. The incubation period is about 22 to 27 days. The chicks stay near the female for several weeks although they leave the nest when only a few hours old. After hatching they grow quickly, flying after 12 to 14 days and resembling adults by only 15 weeks of age.
The Pheasant eats a wide variety of animal and vegetable food including fruit, seeds, grain, mast, berries and leaves as well as a wide range of invertebrates and insects. Small vertebrates like lizards, small mammals and small birds are occasionally taken.
The Pheasant is a well-known gamebird and perhaps the most widespread and ancient one in the world. It is one of the world's most hunted birds. The Pheasant is bred to be hunted and it is shot in great numbers in Europe, especially in the UK where they are shot in the open season from 1st October to 1st February. Generally they are shot by hunters employing gun dogs to help find, flush and retrieve shot birds. Pheasant farming is also a common practice and it is sometimes done intensively. Birds are supplied both to hunting preserves/estates and to restaurants.
Date: 31st October 2010
Location: Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Lancashire
Body weight of the Pheasant can range from 1.1 to 6.6 pounds, with males averaging 2.6 pounds and females averaging 2 pounds
The adult male Pheasant is 24 to 35 inches in length with a long brown streaked black tail, accounting for almost 20 inches of the total length. The body plumage is barred bright gold or fiery copper-red and chestnut-brown with an iridescent sheen of green and purple. The wings are white or cream and black-barred markings are common on the tail. The head is bottle green with a small crest and distinctive red wattling. The female Pheasant is much less showy with a duller mottled brown plumage all over and measuring 20 to 25 inches long including a tail of around 8 inches. Juveniles have the appearance of the female with a shorter tail until young males begin to grow characteristic bright feathers on the breast, head and back at about 10 weeks after hatching.
There are many colour forms of the male Pheasant, ranging in colour from nearly white to almost black in some melanistic examples. These are due to captive breeding and hybridisation between sub-species reinforced by continual releases of stock from varying sources to the wild.
The Pheasant is native to Asia with its original range extending from between the Black and Caspian Seas to Manchuria, Siberia, Korea, mainland China and Taiwan. It can now be found across the globe due to its readiness to breed in captivity and the fact it can naturalise in many climates. At least since the Roman Empire, the Pheasant has been extensively introduced in many places and it has become a naturalised species in Europe, including throughout most of the UK where successive introductions have led to it becoming well adapted to the climate and able to breed naturally in the wild without human supervision on farmland and in copses, heaths, scrub, commons and wetlands.
The Pheasant nests solely on the ground in scrapes lined with some grass and leaves, frequently under dense cover or a hedge. Occasionally it will nest in a haystack or in an old nest left by other birds. The male is polygynous and is often accompanied by a harem of several females. A clutch of around 8 to 15 eggs is laid during April to June, sometimes as many as 18 but usually 10 to 12. The incubation period is about 22 to 27 days. The chicks stay near the female for several weeks although they leave the nest when only a few hours old. After hatching they grow quickly, flying after 12 to 14 days and resembling adults by only 15 weeks of age.
The Pheasant eats a wide variety of animal and vegetable food including fruit, seeds, grain, mast, berries and leaves as well as a wide range of invertebrates and insects. Small vertebrates like lizards, small mammals and small birds are occasionally taken.
The Pheasant is a well-known gamebird and perhaps the most widespread and ancient one in the world. It is one of the world's most hunted birds. The Pheasant is bred to be hunted and it is shot in great numbers in Europe, especially in the UK where they are shot in the open season from 1st October to 1st February. Generally they are shot by hunters employing gun dogs to help find, flush and retrieve shot birds. Pheasant farming is also a common practice and it is sometimes done intensively. Birds are supplied both to hunting preserves/estates and to restaurants.
Date: 31st October 2010
Location: Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Lancashire
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