Hello! We are the Ring-necked Pheasants. We are also known as Common Pheasants. We are one of the ancient and most commonly found pheasants with a very wide range in the world.
There are very interesting facts about us, have a look:
- We are first described by Carl Linnaeus, a famous Swedish Zoologist, in 1758.
- We are called differently in different areas of our range. In the Americas, we are called as Chinks or Phezzens. In China, we are called as Zhi Ji.
- We are the most popular ground-dwelling birds and we are a food source for humans from the stone age. We are very tough birds that can withstand extreme conditions.
- We are quick birds being a pheasant. We can fly with speeds of 43kmph-62kmph. When chased by any predator, we can reach speeds of about 90 kmph.
- We are available in various color mutations. Black and flavistic birds can be commonly seen.
- We do not like to live with other pheasant birds. If we have to, we become dominant over them. Females of our species even lay their eggs in the nest of other pheasants.
- Do you know? We are bred in Europe, especially in the U.K. for shooting. Shooting us in estates has been a sport for many years.
- Traditionally we were sold by poachers in the U.K. but, our increase in population has declined their business.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Phasianus Colchicus.
Identification: chicken-like birds: Males are brown to golden brown with black spots, blue head, and red face; females are brown with dark yellow and black scales.
Our Habitat: agricultural fields, forest edges, rural roadsides, bushy areas, and also areas with tall vegetation.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Omnivorous; feed mainly on fruits, seeds, grains, berries, leaves, small insects, lizards, voles, small birds, and animals.
Breeding Period: April to December.
Number of eggs laid: 8-15 eggs.
Incubation period: 22-27 days.
Lifespan: 5 years.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
CITES: Not Listed.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Not Listed.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Phasianus
Species: P. Colchicus
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We are the Ring-Necked Pheasants. We are also simply called as “Pheasant” or “Common Pheasant”We are scientifically called as Phasianus Colchicus.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are very bright birds with a body length of 50cm-70cm, a wingspan of 56cm-86cm, and weighing 500gms-3kg. A typical male of our species has a red face, a green-colored neck which is iridescent, and a characteristic white ring around the neck. The body of a male of our species is golden-brown to brown in color with black spots on the wings and underparts, white spots and stripes on the back and near the tail. The tail has black, white, and brown colored bars.
A typical female of our species is brown with scales on upperparts and dark yellow and black spots on the sides. The tail has thin, black and brown bars.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We prefer living in habitats like areas near agricultural fields, forest edges, rural roadsides, bushy areas and also areas with tall vegetation. Our range lies in following areas (depending on the subspecies)
1. P. c. colchicus is found in the Caucasus to West Turkestan.
2. P. c. chrysomelas is found in Central Turkestan.
3. P. c. mongolicus is found in Northeast Turkestan and near Mongolia.
4. P. c. tarimensis is found in Southeast Turkestan and around Tarim Basin.
5. P. c. torquatus is found in China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Introduced in North America.
6. P. c. karpowi is found in the Central and South Korean Peninsula.
7. P. c. pallasi is found in Northern Korea and Northeast China.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are omnivorous birds and eat food like fruits, seeds, grains, berries, leaves, small insects, lizards, voles, small birds and animals.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are polygamous birds (having multiple mates in a lifetime). We are social birds and males of our species maintain territory with multiple females and defend their territories from other males. The breeding season is from April to June. The nest is built by the females on the
ground in a sense cover using grass and leaves. The female lays 8-15 eggs at a time and the incubation period is 22-27 days. The incubation is done by the female while the male defends the territory.
The young chicks are taken care of and fed by the mother. The young grow quickly and leave the nest in a few weeks. Our average lifespan is 5 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are popular ground-dwelling birds (gamebirds). We are widespread in the world and also been surviving from ancient times.
We are foragers and spend our day finding and feeding on seeds and grains.
We not only run and walk but also fly for a short distance when alarmed.
We do not like living with other pheasants and often harass them and dominate them. Females of our species often lay eggs in nests of different pheasants.
We are tough birds and can survive very cold conditions.
OUR CONSERVATION:
Our population in the world is decreasing slowly due to habitat loss and hunting. Our population in the world is in between 16 crores to 22 crores individuals. We are listed as “Least Concern” in the red list of IUCN.
