The common pheasant Phasianus colchicus
The common pheasant, or the Georgian pheasant is native to Eurasia and has been introduced to other parts of the world. It belongs to domesticated birds and is widely hunted. Its body length reaches 85 cm, the weight varies between 1 and 2 kg, with males being much larger than females. The appearance of these birds is characterized by areas of naked skin around the eyes. The common pheasant has a very long V-shaped tail consisting of 18 tapering feathers. The wings are short and rounded. The males have spurs on their legs and are brightly coloured, with a metallic lustre of the feathers. The plumage colouration pattern markedly differs in different subspecies, which number about 30. The golden-orange of black-edged feathers on the back gradually shades into copper-red of the upper-tail. The tail feathers are buff with copper edges. The bare skin around the eyes is red. The female plumage is dull brown and sandy-grey, mottled black.
The common pheasant is found in the forests with dense understory, mostly keeping near the water, in plant thickets along the riverbeds and lakeshores, in forests richly grown with dense climbing and thorny plants, with small openings, as well as in the shrubs on field-sides. When startled, these birds rarely fly up onto trees, preferring to hide on the ground, in grass, or in plant thickets. The common pheasants feed on seeds, small fruits, berries (in Georgia – also on sand thorns and buckthorns), green shoots, as well as grains, insects, molluscs, and worms.
Interestingly, wild common pheasants are monogamous birds forming stable pairs, while semi-domesticated common pheasants are polygamous. The nests are always built on the ground. A complete clutch, which is initiated in early spring, contains a significant number of eggs (up to 20, most common, 8 to 18), brown in colour. The incubation lasts for 22 to 28 days. The female alone incubates and rears the chicks; males do not participate in brood-rearing.
