Common Pheasant

The Common Pheasant is a large, unmistakable gamebird. Males are spectacular, with a long, pointed tail, glossy copper-and-gold body plumage shot through with iridescent green, purple, and bronze, a dark green head, and bare scarlet skin around the eye; many populations also show a white neck ring. Females are far less conspicuous, mottled pale brown and buff overall for camouflage, with a shorter tail than the male.

Originally native to Asia, it has been widely introduced across Europe, North America, and elsewhere, and is now a familiar and widespread bird of farmland and woodland edge in many regions.

Key field marks

• Male: long pointed tail, iridescent copper-gold body, dark green head, bare red facial skin, often a white neck ring
• Female: mottled pale brown, shorter tail, cryptic and sparrow-like in pattern but much larger
• Explosive, whirring takeoff when flushed
• Loud, harsh crowing call from males

Similar species

• Female Pheasants can be confused with female Grey Partridge or Red-legged Partridge, but are considerably larger with a much longer tail.

The male's combination of size, long tail, and iridescent plumage makes it unmistakable; females are best identified by size, shape, and the long pointed tail relative to partridges.

Habitat

Thrives in mixed farmland with hedgerows, woodland edge, shelterbelts, and areas of rough cover for roosting and nesting.

Range

Native to Asia from the Caucasus to China and Japan; widely introduced and now established across most of Europe, North America, and parts of Australasia.

Migration

Non-migratory and largely sedentary, though birds may move locally in search of food and cover.

Behavior

Spends most of its time on or near the ground, walking and running through cover, and flying only reluctantly with a fast, whirring burst of wingbeats followed by a glide when flushed. Roosts in trees or dense vegetation at night.

Voice

Males give a loud, harsh double crow, often followed by a burst of wing-whirring, especially at dawn and dusk in the breeding season.

Feeding

Omnivorous, taking seeds, grain, leaves, berries, and invertebrates, foraged by scratching and pecking on the ground.

Nesting and breeding

Nests in a shallow ground scrape concealed in vegetation. Females lay 8-15 olive-brown eggs and incubate alone for about 23-28 days; males are often polygynous, mating with several females.