Tuesday 21 May
In the News: First crane egg in the western UK in four centuries
Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Pheasant fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Pheasant description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae |
| Genus | Phasianus (1) |
The pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) was introduced to Britain by the Romans and Normans (5); further introductions of various races (or 'subspecies') have been made since (6), and it is now our commonest gamebird (7). As the different races have since interbred, adult plumage is extremely variable (5). Adult males are attractive and unmistakable, with a long tail, bright red wattles around the eyes (5), a chestnut coloured body, and an iridescent green or bluish head, which is often separated from the body by a white collar (5). Females are paler in colour, with spots and streaks, which provide good camouflage (5).
- Size
- Male length: 70-90 cm (of which the tail is 35-45 cm) (2)
- Female length: 55-70 cm (of which the tail is 20-25 cm) (2)
More »
Top
Related species
Pheasant biology
The pheasants' diet is broad, incorporating seeds, roots, berries, leaves, and insects (5). Males mate with more than one female; females undertake the duties of nesting and rearing chicks alone (5). During late April, between 7 and 15 eggs are laid in a grass-lined hollow on the ground (5). The chicks hatch between 23 and 27 days later, and become independent after 12 to 14 days (5).
Pheasants roost in trees (2), and form flocks in winter when feeding, in which hierarchies develop amongst the females (7)
TopPheasant range
Pheasant shooting became popular in the 17th and 18th Centuries; large numbers of captive-reared birds are released each summer to supply this activity and supplement the population (5). The pheasant is now widely distributed throughout Britain, but is absent from the West Highlands and the islands of Scotland, and from some areas of the uplands in England and Wales (7). It is known throughout western Europe, central Asia, China, Korea and southeastern Siberia, and has been introduced to many other areas (8).
More »
Species with a similar range
|
You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Pheasant habitat
Typically prefers wooded agricultural lowland (7), but pheasants may also occur in gardens, parks and marshes, their preferred habitats in Asia (5).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
Pheasant status
The pheasant is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1). It is introduced to Britain (3). Covered by Game Acts which give protection in the close season and allow it to be shot from 1st October to 1st February (4).
Pheasant threats
The pheasant is not currently threatened (1).
TopPheasant conservation
The Game Conservancy Trust is currently researching the consequences of releasing large numbers of captive-bred pheasants into small areas (9).
|
|
There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
|
View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
Find out more
For more information on the pheasant:
-
BBC Wildlife Finder:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Common_Pheasant -
RSPB:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/p/pheasant/index.asp -
The Game Conservancy Trust:
http://www.gct.org.uk/ -
BirdLife International:
http://www.birdlife.org
For more on British birds:
-
RSPB:
http://www.rspb.org.uk
Authentication
Information authenticated by the RSPB:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/
Glossary
- Subspecies
- A different race of a species, which is geographically separated from other populations of that species.
References
-
IUCN Red List (February, 2011)
http://www.iucnredlist.org/ - Mullarney, K., Svensson, L., Zetterstrom, D., & Grant, P.J. (1999) Collins Bird Guide. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London.
-
RSPB pheasant information (July 2003):
http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/pheasant/?page=p - RSPB (2003) Pers. comm.
- Gooders, J. (1982) Collins British Birds. William Collins Sons and Co Ltd, London.
- Greenoak, F. (1979) All the birds of the air. Book Club Associates, London.
- Lack, P. (1986) The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A. D. Poyser Ltd, Calton.
- Walters, M. (1994) Eyewitness Handbooks: Birds' Eggs. Dorling Kindersley, London.
-
Game Conservancy Trust Research (November 2002):
http://www.gct.org.uk/text03.asp?PageId=265
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
X
Close
Close
Image credit
Male pheasant
© lauriecampbell.com
Laurie Campbell Photography
Hestia
Paxton
Berwick-upon-Tweed
TD15 1TE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1289 386 736
Fax: +44 (0) 1289 386 746
info@lauriecampbell.com
http://www.lauriecampbell.com
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.
X
Close
Close
Listen to the Pheasant
Pheasant recordings by Gregory F. Budney and Geoffrey A. Keller
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Macaulay Library
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca
New York 14850
United States of America
Tel: +1 (607) 254-2404
Fax: +1 (607) 254-2439
Email: macaulaylibrary@cornell.edu
Website: www.birds.cornell.edu/MacaulayLibrary