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Common Pheasant
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male (left) and female (right)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Phasianus
Species: Phasianus colchicus

The Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is an abundant bird in the family Phasianidae.

Description[]

This hefty bird shows evident sexual dimorphism. The male is larger (70-90 cm of length, 1.4 kg of mass, and up to 90 cm of wingspan) and has a rusty red-brown body, brown wings, a gray back, a brown tail and iridescent green-blue head with a patch of red naked skin. The female is 50-65 cm long, weighs about 1 kg, and has a 70 cm wingspan. Her plumage is brown, mottled and barred. Both have short, rounded wings and a long, narrow, pointed tail that may measure up to 50 cm in length.

Behavior and lifecycle[]

Ms pheasant

Adult female.

A ground-dwelling bird, the Common Pheasant spends much of its day walking around in tall grass, hiding from predators such as foxes and raptors and eating seeds, rarely ever taking flight unless attacked. At night, it sleeps in the trees. It is a sedentary bird.

Due to the high mortality rate in young pheasants, the average lifespan is less than one year, but the large number of chicks that are born each year keeps the population stable. In captivity, a Pheasant may live for more than 20 years.

Feeding[]

It feeds on seeds, fruit, berries, insects and small vertebrates.

Breeding[]

Pheasant couple

A pheasant couple. The female's plumage makes her harder for predators to spot when she is incubating.

The breeding season occurs from April to June. The male is polygamous. The Pheasant nests on the ground, building its nest from straw and feathers. The female lays 6 to 15 white eggs and incubates them for 20-28 days. The chicks and are covered in brown down and are able to see and walk shortly after birth. They then follow their mother around until they become independent. They fledge at around 12 days of age. Each female raises one brood per year.

Distribution and Habitat[]

Pheasant

A male emerges from the the tall grass in a meadow.

Common Pheasants are native to Asia, from China to the area of the Caucasus and the Balkans. The specific name colchicus is a reference to the ancient region of Colchis, or modern day Georgia. It was introduced in western Europe in Roman times, and later in North America and New Zealand in 1773 and 1842 respectively. It lives in open habitats such as meadows, fields and moorlands, usually next to woodland.

Similar species[]

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