About Pheasants
The Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.This bird is also called the Common or English Pheasant, or just Pheasant. Pheasants originate in the Orient, but were introduced to Nova Scotia for hunting purposes in the 10th century but by the 17th century they were extinct. Luckily, today they are widespread.
Pheasants will live anywhere they can find a field or tall grass plus some brushy cover. If there is no immediate danger, the pheasant prefers to walk silently, but if you do chance to see one fly, listen carefully - its wings produce an interesting whistling sound. After a fresh snowfall, watch for pheasant tracks. Pheasants are one of the few species of birds that leave tracks distinctive enough to identify. If you look closely, you may be impressed by the long toes of these birds. In late March, intense fights break out between males, which marks the beginning of their spring.
Any male pheasant (generally called cock or rooster) shows a plumage of bright brown as well as green, white and purple markings, regularly together with a white and noticeable ring around its neck, having the head green with distinguishing red patches. The male pheasants are polygynous often being escorted by their own harem which consists of several female birds. The female pheasant (called a hen) is incomparably less ostentatious than the males, having a monotonous mottled coffee plumage all over the body. These birds can be found on woodland as well as scrub and feed at ground’s level mainly on grain, but also invertebrates and leaves; they settle in trees nocturnally. Pheasants lay their nests on the naked soil, generating a clutch of about 10 eggs over a period of 2-3 weeks in April and June. The incubation stage lasts around 23-26 days and, after hatching from their eggshells, the young chicks stay close to the hen for a number of weeks but are known to grow rapidly, resembling adults by the time they are only 15 weeks old.
An adult pheasant can reach between 50 and 90cm in length and has a remarkably long tail, very often being responsible for half of the bird’s total length. While pheasants are able short-distance fliers, they prefer to run: but if startled they can suddenly burst upwards at great speed, with a distinctive “whirring” wing sound. Their flight speed is only 27 to 38 mph when cruising but when chased they can fly up to 60 mph.
Pheasant farming is a common practice and is sometimes done intensively. Birds are supplied both to hunting preserves/estates and restaurants, with smaller numbers being available for home cooks. The meat is somewhat tough and dry so modern cookery uses moist roasting or farm-raised female birds. Pheasant farms have some 10 million birds in the U.S. and 35 million in the United Kingdom. The Common Pheasant is also one of the prime targets of small game poachers.
To sum up, pheasants are beautiful birds and they’ve been amongst hunters’ favorites for centuries. And with the pheasant firming in full expansion they will continue to be for very a long time from now on.
