View source for Common pheasant

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Common pheasant
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Pleistocene|present}}
| image = Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) ♂ (51028701818).jpg
| image_caption = Male ("cock")
| image2 = Phasianus colchicus -Rutland Water -female-8.jpg
| image2_caption = Female ("hen")<br />both in England
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Phasianus colchicus'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T45100023A85926819 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T45100023A85926819.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Phasianus
| species = colchicus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| range_map = Phasianus colchicus map.svg
| range_map_caption = Geographical distribution of common pheasant<br />{{color box|#7137C8|border=silver}} Native {{color box|#FF0066|border=silver}} Introduced
| synonyms = ''Phasianus phasis''
}}
[[File:Phasianus colchicus 2 tom (Lukasz Lukasik).jpg|thumb|Male of hybrid stock in [[Poland]]<br/>Note thin white neck-band due to a ring-necked subspecies' contribution to hybrid [[gene pool]]]]

The '''common pheasant''' ('''''Phasianus colchicus'''''), '''ring-necked pheasant''', or '''blue-headed pheasant''', is a bird in the [[pheasant]] [[family (biology)|family]] ([[Phasianidae]]). The genus name comes from [[Latin]] ''phasianus'' 'pheasant'. The species name ''colchicus'' is [[Latin]] for 'of [[Colchis]]' (modern day [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]), a country on the [[Black Sea]] where pheasants became known to Europeans.<ref name= job90>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher = Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 |pages = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n113 113], 302}}</ref> Although ''Phasianus'' was previously thought to be closely related to the genus ''Gallus'', the genus of [[junglefowl]] and domesticated [[chicken]]s, recent studies show that they are in different subfamilies, having diverged over 20 million years ago.<ref name=":0b">{{Cite journal|date=2021-05-01|title=A phylogenomic supermatrix of Galliformes (Landfowl) reveals biased branch lengths|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790321000245|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|language=en|volume=158|article-number=107091|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107091|issn=1055-7903|last1=Kimball|first1=Rebecca T.|last2=Hosner|first2=Peter A.|last3=Braun|first3=Edward L.|pmid=33545275|bibcode=2021MolPE.15807091K |s2cid=231963063|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=Lawal>{{ cite journal | last1=Lawal | first1=RA. | display-authors=etal | year=2020 | title=The wild species genome ancestry of domestic chickens | journal=BMC Biology | volume=18 | issue=13 | page=13 | doi=10.1186/s12915-020-0738-1 | doi-access=free | pmid=32050971| pmc=7014787 }}</ref>

It is native to Asia, where it is widespread, and also the extreme southeast of Europe in the northern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. It has been widely introduced elsewhere as a [[game bird]]. In parts of its range, mainly in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe, where it is naturalised, it is simply known as the "'''pheasant'''". '''Ring-necked pheasant''' is both the collective name for a number of [[subspecies]] and their intergrades that have white neck rings, and the name used for the species as a whole in North America.

It is a well-known [[gamebird]], among those of more than regional importance perhaps the most widespread and ancient one in the whole world. The common pheasant is one of the world's most hunted birds;<ref name=Robertson1997/> it has been introduced for that purpose to many regions, and is also common on game farms where it is commercially bred. The ring-necked subspecies group in particular are commonly bred and were introduced to many parts of the world; the game farm stock, though no distinct [[breed]]s have been developed yet, can be considered semi-[[domesticated]]. The ring-necked pheasant is the [[List of U.S. state birds|state bird]] of [[South Dakota]], one of only two US state birds that is not a species native to the United States.

The [[green pheasant]] (''P.&nbsp;versicolor'') of Japan is sometimes considered a subspecies of the common pheasant. Though the species produce fertile [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]s wherever they coexist, this is simply a typical feature among [[fowl]] (Galloanseres), in which postzygotic [[isolating mechanisms]] are slight compared to most other birds. The species apparently have somewhat different [[ecological]] requirements and at least in its typical habitat, the green pheasant outcompetes the common pheasant. The introduction of the latter to Japan has therefore largely failed.

==Description==
{{Listen|filename=Phasianus colchicus.ogg|title=''Phasianus colchicus'' call|pos=left|format=[[Ogg]]}}
[[File:Phasianus colchicus 4 hen (Lukasz Lukasik).jpg|thumb|left|Flavistic hen]]
[[File:Phasianus colchicus MHNT.jpg|thumb|left|''Phasianus colchicus'' egg at [[MHNT]]]]
[[File:Phasianus colchicus MHNT Skeleton.jpg|thumb|left|Skeleton [[MHNT]]]]

There are many colour forms of the male common pheasant, ranging in colour from nearly white to almost black in some melanistic examples. These are due to captive breeding and [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]isation between [[subspecies]] and with the green pheasant, reinforced by continual releases of stock from varying sources to the wild. For example, the "ring-necked pheasants" common in Europe, North America and Australia do not pertain to any specific [[taxon]], they rather represent a stereotyped hybrid swarm.<ref name=Sibley2000/> Body weight can range from {{Convert|0.5|to|3|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}, with males averaging {{Convert|1.2|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} and females averaging {{Convert|0.9|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref name=AAB /> Wingspan ranges from {{convert|56-86|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ring-necked Pheasant Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Pheasant/id|access-date=2020-09-26|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|language=en}}</ref>

The adult male common pheasant of the [[nominate subspecies]] ''Phasianus colchicus colchicus'' is {{Convert|60|–|89|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} in length with a long brown streaked black tail, accounting for almost {{Convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} of the total length. The body plumage is barred bright gold or fiery copper-red and chestnut-brown [[Feather|plumage]] with iridescent sheen of green and purple; but rump uniform is sometimes blue.  The wing coverage is white or cream and black-barred markings are common on the tail.<ref name="Scott, p.85">Scott, p. 85</ref>  The head is bottle green with a small [[Crest (feathers)|crest]] and distinctive red [[Wattle (anatomy)|wattle]]. ''P.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;colchicus'' and some other races lack a white neck ring.<ref name="British Book of Birds, p.69">''British Book of Birds'' p. 69</ref> Behind the face are two ear-tufts, that make the pheasant appear more alert.<ref>''The Observer's Book of Birds'', p. 214</ref>

The female (hen) and juveniles are [[sexual dimorphism in birds|much less showy]], with a duller mottled brown plumage all over and measuring {{Convert|50|-|63|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long including a tail of around {{Convert|20|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}. Juvenile birds have the appearance of the female with a shorter tail until young males begin to grow characteristic bright feathers on the breast, head and back at about 10 weeks after hatching.<ref name="Scott, p.85"/>

The [[green pheasant]] (''P.&nbsp;versicolor'') is very similar, and hybridisation often makes the identity of individual farmed birds difficult to determine. Green pheasant males on average have a shorter tail than the common pheasant and have darker plumage that is uniformly bottle-green on the breast and belly; they always lack a neck ring. Green pheasant females are darker, with many black dots on the breast and belly.

In addition, various colour [[mutation]]s are commonly encountered, mainly [[melanism|melanistic]] (black) and flavistic ([[isabelline (colour)|isabelline]] or [[fawn (colour)|fawn]]) specimens. The former are rather commonly released in some areas and are named "tenebrosus pheasant"{{cn|date=December 2024}} or simply "melanistic mutant".<ref name="v694">{{cite book | last1=Heinzel | first1=Hermann | last2=Fitter | first2=Richard | last3=Parslow | first3=John | title=Birds of Britain & Europe | publisher=Harpercollins Pub Limited | publication-place=London | date=1995 | isbn=0-00-219894-0 | page=}}</ref>

==Taxonomy and systematics==
[[File:Common Pheasant (Hybride).jpg|thumb|right|Hybrid male in Europe, intermediate between Mongolian ringneck and Caucasus group [[phenotype]]]]
This species was first scientifically described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his landmark 1758 [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']] under its current scientific name. The common pheasant is distinct enough from any other species known to Linnaeus for a laconic ''[Phasianus] rufus, capîte caeruleo'', "a red pheasant with blue head", to serve as entirely sufficient description. The bird had been extensively discussed before Linnaeus established [[binomial nomenclature]] so was already well-known. His sources are the ''Ornithologia'' of [[Ulisse Aldrovandi]],<ref name=Aldrovandi1600/> [[Giovanni Pietro Olina]]'s ''Uccelliera'',<ref name=Olina1622/> [[John Ray]]'s ''Synopsis methodica Avium & Piscium'',<ref name=Ray1713/> and ''A Natural History of the Birds'' by [[Eleazar Albin]].<ref name=Albin1731/> Therein—essentially the bulk of the [[ornithology]] textbooks of his day—the species is simply named "the pheasant" in the books' respective languages. Whereas in most other species, Linnaeus felt it warranted to cite plumage details from his sources, in the common pheasant's case he simply referred to the reason of the bird's fame: ''principum mensis dicatur''.{{Verify source|date=March 2009}}<!-- translate please - "it is called the foremost dish", "it is called the Prince of the Table"? --> The [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] is given simply as "Africa, Asia".<ref name=linne/>

However, the bird does not occur in Africa, except perhaps in Linnaeus's time in [[Mediterranean]] coastal areas where they might have been introduced during the [[Roman Empire]]. The type locality was later fixed to the [[Rioni River]] in western [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], known as ''[[Phasis (mythology)|Phasis]]'' to the [[Ancient Greek]]s. These birds, until the [[modern era]], constituted the bulk of the introduced stock in parts of Europe that was not already present; the birds described by Linnaeus's sources, though typically belonging to such early introductions, would certainly have more [[allele]]s in common with the [[transcaucasia]]n population than with others. The [[scientific name]] is [[Latin]] for "pheasant from [[Colchis]]", ''colchicus'' referring to the west of modern-day [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]];<ref name=URB2007/> the Ancient Greek term corresponding to the English "pheasant" is '''''Phasianos ornis''''' (Φασιανὸς ὂρνις), "bird of the river Phasis".<ref name=OED/> Although Linnaeus included many [[Galliformes]] in his [[genus]] ''Phasianius'' such as the [[domestic chicken]] and its wild ancestor the [[red junglefowl]], nowadays ''Gallus gallus'', today only the common and the green pheasant are placed in this genus. As the latter was not known to Linnaeus in 1758, the common pheasant is treated as the [[type species]] of ''Phasianus''.

In the US, common pheasants are widely known as "ring-necked pheasants". One North American writer called them '''"chinks"''' or, in [[Montana]], '''"phezzens"'''.<ref name=Proper1990/> In China, meanwhile, the species is properly called '''''zhi ji''''' ([[:zh:雉鸡|雉鸡]]), "pheasant-fowl", essentially implying the same as the English name "common pheasant". As elsewhere, ''P.&nbsp;colchicus'' is such a familiar bird in China that it is usually just referred to as '''''shan ji''''' (山雞), "mountain chicken",<ref name=Lin-Liu2006/> a Chinese term for [[pheasant]]s in general.

As of 2005, it had the smallest known [[genome]] of all living [[amniote]]s, only 0.97 pg (970 million [[base pair]]s), roughly one-third of the human genome's size; however, the [[black-chinned hummingbird]] is the current holder of the smallest known amniote genome.<ref name=Gregory2005/>

===Subspecies===
[[File:Male and female pheasant.jpg|thumb|right|Chinese ringneck-type male (note grey rump) with very pale female, illustrating the dramatic difference in both colour and size between sexes as per [[sexual dimorphism]]]]
There are about 30 [[subspecies]] in five<ref name=Madge2002/> to eight<ref name=Schweizer19/> groups. These can be identified by the male plumage, namely presence or absence of a white neck-ring and/or a white [[Supercilium|superciliary stripe]], the colour of the uppertail (rump) and wing [[covert (feather)|covert]]s, and the colour of crown, chest, upper back, and flank feathers. As noted above, introduced populations have mixed the [[allele]]s of various races by various amounts, differing according to the original stock used for introductions and what [[natural selection]] according to [[climate]] and [[habitat]] has made of that.

An investigation into the genetic relationships of subspecies suggested that the common pheasant originated from the forests of southeastern China.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Effect of geological vicariance on mitochondrial DNA differentiation in Common Pheasant populations of the Loess Plateau and eastern China|year=2010 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2009.12.026 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790310000023|access-date=28 December 2020|last1=Liu |first1=Ying |last2=Zhan |first2=Xiangjiang |last3=Wang |first3=Ning |last4=Chang |first4=Jiang |last5=Zhang |first5=Zhengwang |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=409–417 |pmid=20060052 |bibcode=2010MolPE..55..409L |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Initial divergence is thought to have occurred around 3.4 Mya. The lack of agreement between morphology-based subspecies delimitation and their genetic relationships is thought to be attributed to past isolation followed by more recent population mixing as the pheasant has expanded its range across the Palaearctic.<ref name=Sokos2014/>

Sometimes this species is split into the [[Central Asia]]n common and the [[East Asia]]n ring-necked pheasants, roughly separated by the [[arid]] and high [[mountain]]ous regions of [[Turkestan]]. However, while the western and eastern populations probably were entirely separate during the [[last glacial period|Zyryanka glaciation]] when deserts were more extensive,<ref name=Ray2001/> this separation was not long enough for actual [[speciation]] to occur. Today, the largest variety of colour patterns is found where the western and eastern populations mix, as is to be expected. Females usually cannot be identified even to subspecies group with certainty.

Many subspecies are in danger of disappearing due to hybridisation with introduced birds. The last black-necked pheasant (''P.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;colchicus'') population in Europe survives in Greece in the delta of the river [[Nestos (river)|Nestos]], where in 2012 the population was estimated 100–250 individuals.<ref name=Sokos2014/>

The subspecies groups,<ref name=Schweizer19/> going from west to east, and some notable subspecies are:
{| class="wikitable sortable" align="left" style="margin: 10px;"
|-
! Subspecies !! Range !! Description !! Image
|-
| WESTERN CLADE – <br />Red-rumped pheasants: || || The lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are of a bronze-red, maroon, or rusty-orange general colour, sometimes glossed with oily green; black bars on the tail generally narrow.
||
|-
| ''P. c. colchicus'' group – <br />Black-necked pheasants:<br /> ''P. c. colchicus, P. c. septentrionalis, P. c. talischensis, P. c. persicus'' ||[[Caucasus]] to W. [[Turkestan]]; early (Roman or pre-Roman) introduced into [[Turkey]] (Samsun area)<ref name=Kumerloeve1976/> and [[Greece]] (Nestos delta)<ref name=Sokos2014/> ||No neck ring. Wing coverts [[buff (colour)|buff]] to brown (in ''P. c. persicus'' greyish white or buffy white), uppertail coverts [[rust (colour)|rust]]y to [[chestnut (colour)|chestnut]] || [[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052517376).jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. chrysomelas / P. c. principalis'' group – <br />White-winged pheasants:<br /> ''P. c. principalis, P. c. zarudnyi, P. c. zerafschanicus, P. c. bianchii, P. c. chrysomelas, P. c. shawii'' ||Central [[Turkestan]] and western [[Tarim Basin]]||No or vestigial neck ring. Wing coverts whitish, uppertail coverts and general plumage hue [[bronze]] to brown ||[[File:Prince of Wales's Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:BirdsAsiaJohnGoVIIGoul 0152.jpg|100px]]<br />[[File:BirdsAsiaJohnGoVIIGoul 0148.jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. mongolicus'' group – <br />Kyrghyz pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. turcestanicus, P. c. mongolicus'' ||NE [[Turkestan]] and adjacent [[Xinjiang]]. Note that, despite its name, ''P. c. mongolicus'' does not occur in Mongolia.||Broad neck ring. Wing coverts white, uppertail coverts hue rusty to chestnut, general plumage hue [[copper (colour)|copper]] ||[[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052488785).jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. tarimensis'' group – <br />Tarim pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. tarimensis''||SE [[Turkestan]] around the eastern [[Tarim Basin]]||No or vestigial neck ring. Wing coverts buff to brown, uppertail coverts dark [[khaki (color)|khaki]] to light [[olive (colour)|olive]] || [[File:Tarim Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|-
| EASTERN CLADE – <br />Grey-rumped pheasants: || || The lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are of a light and more or less lavender-blue, greenish- or yellowish-grey, or olive-greenish colour; a rusty orange patch on each side of the rump; black tail-bars generally broad. ||
|-
| ''P. c. elegans'' group – <br />Yunnan pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. elegans, P. c. rothschildi'' ||Eastern [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]], western [[Sichuan]], northwestern and southeastern [[Yunnan]], northwestern [[Vietnam]] and northern [[Myanmar]].|| White neck collar and orbital lines are absent. A broad band of richly glossed dark green or bluish green colour runs down the underparts, completely separating the brassy-chestnut of the sides of the chest. Crown dark green. Uppertail coverts light bluish grey. ||
|-
| ''P. c. strauchi / P. c. vlangalii'' group – <br />Western grey-rumped pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. suehschanensis, P. c. vlangalii, P. c. satscheuensis, P. c. edzinensis, P. c. strauchi, P. c. sohokhotensis, P. c. alaschanicus, P. c. kiangsuensis'' ||[[Qaidam Basin]], eastern [[Qinghai]], northeastern [[Sichuan]], [[Inner Mongolia]], [[Gansu]], [[Ningxia]], [[Shanxi]], [[Shaanxi]], western [[Hebei]]. Note that, despite its name, ''P. c. kiangsuensis'' does not occur in [[Jiangsu]].|| The white neck collar and orbital lines are usually either absent (''P. c. suehschanensis'') or rather narrow, often not complete. Brassy-chestnut on chest dominating over glossy green colour (which only in ''P. c. suehschanensis'' reaches from foreneck to the belly). Crown usually dark green. ||[[File:Strauch's Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. torquatus'' group – <br />Chinese ring-necked pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. hagenbecki, P. c. pallasi, P. c. karpowi, P. c. torquatus, P. c. takatsukasae, P. c. decollatus'' ||Widespread in eastern China, extending to northernmost [[Vietnam]] in the south and to the [[Strait of Tartary]] region in the north; with an isolated population in north-western Mongolia. Absent from [[Hainan]]. Most pheasants introduced in North America are of this group. ||White neck ring varies from broad in the north east (''P. c. pallasi'') to absent in the south west (''P. c. decollatus''). Wing coverts [[tan (color)|tan]] to light grey (almost white in some). Chest copper red to light brown red, in ''P. c. decollatus'' rich purple red with thick black feather margins. Crown varying from dark green without orbital lines (''P. c. decollatus'') to light grey framed with white orbital lines. In ''P. c. hagenbecki'' chest feathers broadly fringed black.||[[File:Kobdo Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:Manchurian Ring-necked Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:Eastern Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:Kweichow Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. formosanus'' group – <br />Taiwan pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. formosanus'' ||[[Taiwan]] || White neck ring interrupted at front neck. Flank feathers characteristically whitish or pure white with black apices and often narrow black margins. Feathers at chest broadly fringed black, giving a scaly appearance. || [[File:Formosan Ring-necked Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|- 
| Subspecies:<ref>{{Citation |last1=Giudice |first1=John H. |title=Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) |date=2022-10-25 |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/rinphe1/1.1/introduction |work=Birds of the World |editor-last=Billerman |editor-first=Shawn M. |access-date=2023-07-16 |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |language=en |doi=10.2173/bow.rinphe1.01.1 |last2=Ratti |first2=John T. |last3=Mlodinow |first3=Steven G. |editor2-last=Keeney |editor2-first=Brooke K. |editor3-last=Rodewald |editor3-first=Paul G. |editor4-last=Schulenberg |editor4-first=Thomas S.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Miller |first=Alden H. |date=January 1952 |title=The Pheasants of the World Jean Delacour J. C. Harrison |journal=The Condor |volume=54 |issue=1 |pages=70–71 |doi=10.2307/1364534 |jstor=1364534 |issn=0010-5422}}</ref>|| || || 
|-
| ''P. c. pallasi''<br />(Manchurian ring-necked pheasant) ||Southeastern Siberia ([[Primorsky Krai|Ussuriland]], southern [[Russian Manchuria (Russia)|Amurland]]), adjacent northeastern [[North Korea]] (alpine region) to northeastern China (east and south slopes of [[Greater Khingan]] Mountains and [[Lesser Khingan]] Mountains)|| Plumage dominated by yellow and copper brown tones. Greyish green crown, framed by white orbital lines. White collar very wide and uninterrupted, often broader at the front. || [[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052458474).jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. karpowi''<br />(Korean ring-necked pheasant) ||Northeastern China (southern [[Heilongjiang]], [[Jilin]], northern [[Liaoning]], northern [[Hebei]]) and central and southern [[Korea]] and [[Jeju Island]] in South Korea. Introduced on [[Hokkaido]], Japan.<ref name=Bohl1964/>|| Darker and more richly coloured than ''P.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;pallasi'', and white collar narrower. || |[[File:Korea Spring NMK 01 (13281396764).jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. elgans'' (Stone's pheasant)
|Eastern Tibet, Western Sichuan, and Northwestern Yunnan provinces, 1,500–3,000&nbsp;m preferred elevation.
|Overall plumage dark and contrasting, but check to distinguish this subspecies from ''P. c. suehschanensis'' which has some range overlap. Scaplulars are scarcely spotted when compared to those of ''P. c. suehschanensis.''
|
|-
|''P. c. decollatus'' (Kweichow)
|Central China ( Eastern Szechuan, Western Hubei, Northeastern Yunnan and Guizhou).
|Appears like ''P. c. torquatus'' but with no collar
|
|-
|''P. c. takatsukasae'' (Tonkinese)
|Southeastern China and Tonkin
|Poorly known, best identified by range. Supposedly similar to ''P. c. torquatus'' but overall darker.  
|
|-
|''P. c. rothschildi'' (Rothschild's)
|Yunnan, Tonkin, northern Laos and eastern Myanmar. Prefers elevations of 1,500 to 3,000&nbsp;m
|Similar to ''P. c. elegans'' but lighter. Best identified by range
|
|-
|''P. c. torquatus'' (Chinese)
|Eastern China
|
|
|-
|''P. c. formosanus'' (Taiwanese)
|Taiwan
|Black belly and pale sides. Range is also diagnostic.
|[[File:DSC03160 花東海岸山脈的環頸雉555593997.jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. alaschanicus'' (Alashan)
|North Central China, Southern Mongolia. "Oases near the western foothills of Ala-Shans".
|Poorly known, best identified by range.
|
|-
|''P. c. hagenbecki'' (Kobdo)
|Kobdo Valley, Mongolia, prefers elevations of 1,000 to 1,500&nbsp;m
|Distinctive bright golden flanks as well as small range are diagnostic.
|
|-
|''P. c. kiangsuensis'' (Shansi)
|Northeastern China
|Extremely similar ''P. c. torquatus'', range overlaps, but ''P. c. kiangsuensis'' skews further north. The barring on the nape in finer in ''P. c. kiangsuensis'' than in ''P. c. torquatus.''
|
|-
|''P. c. satscheuensis'' (Satchu)
|Northwestern Gansu
|Best identified by range 
|
|-
|''P. c. strauchi'' (Strauch's)
|Central China, Gansu south to Szechuan. Prefers altitudes near 3,000&nbsp;m
|Extremely variable, best identified by range and elimination of other subspecies. 
|
|-
|''P. c. suehschanensis'' (Sungpan) 
|Northwest Szechuan and Eastern Tibet
|Similar to elegans
|
|-
|''P. c. vlangallii''
|Quinghai, prefers elevations of 600 to 2,100&nbsp;m
|Best identified by range
|
|-
|''P. c. edzinensis''
|Ruo Shui basin
|Similar plumage to ''P. c. satscheuensis,'' best identified by range.
|
|-
|''P. c. sohokhotensis'' (Sohokhoto)
|Sohokhoto Oasis
|Resembles ''P. c. strauchi'' but paler with "eyebrows" and a collar.
|
|-
|''P. c. tarimensis'' (Tarim basin)
|Southeastern Tarim Basin
|Olive-green rump
|
|-
|''P. c. mongolicus'' (Mongolian/Kirghiz)
|Northern Kyrgyzstan, Eastern Kazakhstan, Xinjiang and Urumchi.
|Widespread in its range. Darkly plumaged with contrasting white wing coverts.
|
|-
|''P. c turcestanicus'' (Syr-Darya)
|Syr Darya river valley
|Small range, darkly plumaged with contrasting white wing coverts, slightly brighter sides than ''P. c. mongolicus''. 
|
|-
|''P. c. bianchii''
|Southern Uzbekistan, southwestern Tajikistan and extreme northern Afghanistan
|Bright white wing coverts, also use range.
|
|-
|''P. c. principalis'' (Prince of Wales)
|Southeastern Turkmenistan, extreme northern Iran and Afghanistan
|Rare, identification information poorly known other than range, look for the contrasting green and purple-maroon throat.
|
|-
|''P. c. shawii'' (Yarkland)
|Xinjiang
|Bright white wing coverts 
|
|-
|''P. c. zerafschanicus'' (Zerafshan)
|Bukhara, Zeravshan and Kashkadarya Valleys of Southern Uzbekistan.
|Best identified by range
|
|-
|''P. c. zarudnyi'' (Zarundy's)
|Central valleys of the river Amu Darya on the eastern Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan border.
|Best identified by range and glossy-green throat.
|
|-
|''P. c. colchicus'' (Caucasian)
|Northeasternmost Turkey to eastern Georgia, eastern Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Armenia and northwestern Iran.
|The most widespread of the "black-necked pheasants". Commonly released as a gamebird. Possibly the ancestral population of the "old English pheasant"
|[[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052517376).jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. septentrionalis'' (Northern Caucasian)
|Dagestan to north of the Volga Delta 
|Large,  white spots on the back. Golden-orange nape that contrasts against the dark rump.
|[[File:Fagiano 1.jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. talischensis'' (Talisch)
|Transcaucasia and Caspian lowlands of Iran
|Fine, even white spots on the back, overall warm orange plumage, little contrast of wing plumage. Range important for identification.
|
|-
|''P. c. persicus'' (Persian)
|Southwest Turkmenistan and northcentral Iran
|Overall warm orange plumage, wing plumage bright white and contrasting.
|
|}
Within a maximum clade credibility mDNA gene tree, the most basal group is the ''P. c. elegans''-group of the Eastern Clade, diverging from the [[green pheasant]] during the [[Calabrian (stage)|Calabrian]], and diversifying in [[Chibanian|Middle Pleistocene]] around 0.7 million years ago, with the groups of the Western Clade splitting off from those of the Eastern Clade about 0.59 million years ago.<ref name=Schweizer19/> While the subspecies of the Western Clade are well geographically separated from each other, the subspecies of the Eastern Clade often show [[Cline (biology)|clinal]] variation and large areas of [[intergradation]]. For example, clines connect ''P. c. pallasi-karpowi-torquatus-takatsukasae'' within the ''P. c. torquatus'' group and ''P. c. kiangsuensis-alaschanicus-sohokhotensis-strauchi'' within the ''P. c. strauchi-vlangalii'' group, with the degree of expression of white collar and [[Supercilium|superciliary stripe]] in both cases decreasing from north to south. The isolated form ''P. c. hagenbecki'' is very close to ''P. c. pallasi'' in phenotype, and has been traditionally treated within the ''P. c. torquatus'' group until recently, when it was assigned in one study to the ''P. c. strauchi / P. c. vlangalii'' group.<ref name=Schweizer19/> However, the origin of the corresponding feather samples as listed in GenBank<ref name=Hagenbecki/> is far away from the known distribution of subspecies ''P. c. hagenbecki'', and the issue needs further clarification.
{{clear}}

==Ecology==
[[File:NewPheasant.png|thumb|left|Just hatched, in an egg incubator]]

Common pheasants are native to Asia and parts of Europe, their original range extending from the eastern [[Black Sea]] and the [[Caspian Sea]] to [[Manchuria]], [[Siberia]], [[Korea]], Mainland China, and [[Taiwan]]. The birds are found in woodland, farmland, scrub, and wetlands. In their natural habitat, common pheasants live in grassland near water with small [[copse]]s of trees, and are tolerant of both dry and humid soils.<ref name="Lever2009"/><ref name=Madge2002/> Extensively cleared farmland, however, is marginal habitat that cannot maintain self-sustaining populations for long.<ref name=Henninger1906/><ref name=OOS2004/>

Common pheasants are gregarious birds and outside the breeding season form loose flocks. However, captive bred common pheasants can show strong sexual segregation, in space and time, with sex differences in the use of feeding stations throughout the day.<ref>{{cite journal | author1= Whiteside, M.A. |author2= van Horik, J. O. | author3= Langley, E.J.G. | author4= Beardsworth, C. E. | author5= Capstick, L.A. | author6= Madden, J. R. |year=2019 | title=  Patterns of association at feeder stations for Common Pheasants released into the wild: sexual segregation by space and time | journal=Ibis| volume=161| pages = 325–336| doi= 10.1111/ibi.12632| issue=2| hdl= 10871/33788 |s2cid= 91133760 | hdl-access= free }}</ref> Wherever they are hunted they are always timid once they associate humans with danger, and will quickly retreat for safety after hearing the arrival of hunting parties in the area.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

[[File:PheasantChicks.png|thumb|Chicks about one hour after hatching]]

While common pheasants are able short-distance fliers, they prefer to run. If startled however, they can suddenly burst upwards at great speed, with a distinctive "whirring" wing sound and often giving ''kok kok kok'' calls to alert [[conspecific]]s. Their flight speed is only {{Convert|43|–|61|km/h|kn|abbr=on}} when cruising but when chased they can fly up to {{Convert|90|km/h|kn|abbr=on}}.

===Nesting===
Common pheasants nest solely on the ground in scrapes, lined with some grass and leaves, frequently under dense cover or a hedge.  Occasionally they will nest in a haystack, or old nest left by other bird. They roost in sheltered trees at night.  The males are [[Polygyny in animals|polygynous]] as is typical for many Phasianidae, and are often accompanied by a harem of several females.<ref name=NDGFD1992/>

Breeding beings in April. Hens scrape a hollow in the ground lined with grass and dead leaves, in which they lay a clutch of eight to fifteen eggs. These are brown-olive in colour. The hen afterwards incubates them twenty-three to twenty-five days.<ref name="Lever1979"/> The chicks stay near the hen for several weeks, yet leave the nest when only a few hours old.  After hatching they grow quickly, flying after 12–14 days, resembling adults by only 15 weeks of age.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

They eat a wide variety of animal and vegetable type-food. Vegetable forage includes fruit, seeds, grain, mast, berries and leaves, while animal food includes a wide range of [[invertebrate]]s, such as [[slug]]s, [[earthworm]]s, [[Tipuloidea|leatherjackets]], ant eggs, [[wireworm]]s, [[caterpillar]]s, [[grasshopper]]s and other insects.<ref name="Lever1979"/><ref name="British Book of Birds, p.69"/> Small [[vertebrate]]s like lizards, field voles, small mammals and small birds are occasionally taken.<ref name="British Book of Birds, p.69"/>

===European native===
Southern Caucasian pheasants (''P.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;colchicus'') were common in Greece during the classical period and it is a widespread myth that the Greeks took pheasants to the [[Balkans]] when they colonised Colchis in the [[Caucasus]]. This colonization happened during the 6th century BC, but pheasant archaeological remains in the Balkans are much older dating to 6th millennium BC. This fact indicates that probably pheasants reached the area naturally.<ref>Fet, V. & A. Popov 2007: Biogeography and Ecology of Bulgaria. Springer.</ref><ref>Sokos, C. & P. Birtsas 2014: The last indigenous black-necked pheasant population of Europe. G@lliformed 8: 13–22.</ref> Additionally it seems that they had a continuous range in Turkey from the Sea of Marmara on the edge of the Balkans, across the northern shore of the country till Caucasus.<ref>Gürler, A. T., Bölükbaş, C. S., Pekmezci, G. Z., Umur, S. & M.  Açıcı1 2012: Samsun'da Sülünlerde (''Phasianus colchicus'') Nekropsi ve Dışkı Bakısında Saptanan Helmintler. Turkiye Parazitol Derg 36: 222–227.</ref> The last remnants of the Balkan population survive in the Kotza-Orman riparian forest of Nestos, in [[Greece]] with an estimated population of 100–200 adult birds.<ref>{{cite book
| editor-last1 = Λεγάκις | editor-first1 = Αναστάσιος | editor-last2 = Μαραγκού | editor-first2 = Παναγιώτα
| date = 2009
| title = Το Κόκκινο Βιβλίο των Απειλούμενων Ζώων της Ελλάδας
| trans-title = The Red Book of endangered animals of Greece
| isbn = 978-960-85298-8-5
| lang = el
| author-last = Χανδρινός | author-first = Γιώργος
| contribution = Φασιανός
| trans-contribution = Black-necked Pheasant
| location = Αθήνα (Athens)
| publisher = Ελληνική Ζωολογική Εταιρεία (Hellenic Zoological Society)
| page = 243
| url = http://dipe.ker.sch.gr/kainotomes/To_Kokkino_biblio.pdf
}} (summary for each species in English)</ref> In [[Bulgaria]] they were lost in the 1970s because they hybridised with introduced eastern subspecies.<ref>Braasch, T., Pes, T., Michel, S. & H. Jacken 2011: The subspecies of the common pheasant ''Phasianus colchicus'' in the wild and captivity. International Journal of Galliformes Conservation 2: 6–13.</ref>

Besides the Balkans the species lives in Europe in the area north of Caucasus where the local subspecies ''P.c.septentrionalis'' survives pure around the lower reaches of the Samur River. Reintroduction efforts in the rest of the north Caucasian range may include hybrid birds.<ref>Kayvanfar, N., Aliabadian, M., Niu, X., Zhang, Z. & Y. Liu 2017: Phylogeography of the Common Pheasant ''Phasianus colchicus''. Ibis 159: 430–442.</ref>

===As an introduced species===
[[File:Pheasant in Litovelske Pomoravi.jpg|thumb|left|Although a non-indigenous species, the common pheasant is farmed even in [[conservation area]]s, as seen here in [[Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area]] in the Czech Republic.]]
[[File:Ring-necked pheasants on shore of the Severn Estuary at Newport Wetlands RSPB Reserve.JPG|thumb|Introduced male and female foraging at the [[Newport Wetlands|Newport Wetlands RSPB Nature Reserve]] in the United Kingdom]]
[[File:Pheasant 3858.jpg|thumb|right|A startled male makes a dash for cover]]

Common pheasants can now be found across the globe due to their readiness to breed in captivity and the fact that they can naturalise in many climates, but are known to be introduced in Europe, North America, [[Japan]] and [[New Zealand]].  Pheasants were hunted in their natural range by [[Stone Age]] humans just like the [[grouse]], [[partridge]]s, [[junglefowl]]s and perhaps [[peafowl]]s that inhabited Europe at that time.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} The common pheasant was originally introduced to Europe during the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] period. Recipes for preparing pheasant meat were discussed by [[Marcus Gavius Apicius]] in the first century AD; pheasant husbandry is also discussed by [[Columella]] in the same century and, based on the former's writings, by [[Rutilius Taurus Aemilianus Palladius]] in ''De Re Rustica'' in 350 AD.<ref name="Lever1979"/>

Introductions in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] have mostly failed, except where local [[Galliformes]] or their [[ecological]] equivalents are rare or absent.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The bird was naturalized in [[Great Britain]] around AD 1059, but may have been introduced by the [[Romano-British]] centuries earlier.<ref name=Cross2006/> It was the Caucasian subspecies mistakenly known as the 'Old English pheasant' rather than the Chinese ring-necked pheasants (''torquatus'') that were introduced to Britain.<ref>Book of British Birds, p.69</ref> But it became [[Local extinction|extirpated]] from most of the isles in the early 17th century. There were further re-introductions of the 'white neck-ringed' variety in the 18th century. It was rediscovered as a game bird in the 1830s after being ignored for many years in an amalgam of forms. Since then it has been reared extensively by [[gamekeeper]]s and was shot in season from 1 October to 31 January. Pheasants are well adapted to the British climate and breed naturally in the wild without human supervision in copses, heaths and commons.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} Imported stock has originated from a number of other subspecies in addition to ''colchicus'' and ''torquatus'', including the Prince of Wales pheasant (''P. c. principalis''), the Mongolian pheasant (''P. c. mongolicus''), the Satchu pheasant (''P. c. satscheuensis''), and Pallas's pheasant (''P. c. pallasi''), alongside the related [[green pheasant]]. Extensive interbreeding has occurred between these stocks, so that most British pheasants are of mixed heritage and display an at least partial neck ring and the "Old English" type is not encountered in its original form. Common British phenotypes include a cream-colored variant termed the Bohemian pheasant and a melanistic form derived from green pheasant ancestry.<ref name="Lever1979">{{cite book |last=Lever |first=Christopher |date=1979 |title=The Naturalized Animals of the British Isles |url=https://archive.org/details/naturalizedanima0000leve |location=London |publisher=Paladin Books |page=331-342 |isbn=978-0-586-08285-0 |access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Lever2009"/>

The first mentions of pheasants in Scotland occur in the late sixteenth century, although they did not penetrate as far as the [[Scottish Highlands]] until the nineteenth, when a cock was recorded in the [[Grampian Mountain]]s in 1826.<ref name="Lever2009">{{cite book |last=Lever |first=Christopher |date=2009 |title=The Naturalized Animals of Britain and Ireland |url=https://archive.org/details/naturalizedanima0000leve_i7q2/page/164 |location=London |publisher=New Holland Publishers |page=164-168 |isbn=978-1-84773-454-9 |access-date=10 May 2025}}</ref> By 1950 pheasants bred throughout the British Isles, although they were scarce in [[Ireland]]. Because around 30,000,000 pheasants are released each year on shooting estates, mainly in the [[The Midlands|Midlands]] and South of England, it is widespread in distribution, although most released birds survive less than a year in the wild. The Bohemian was most likely seen in [[North Norfolk]].<ref>Scott, p.86</ref> The [[Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust]] is researching the breeding success of reared pheasants and trying to find ways to improve this breeding success to reduce the demand to release as many reared pheasants and increase the wild population.  As the original Caucasian stock all but disappeared during the Early Modern era, most 'dark-winged ringless' birds in the UK are actually descended from 'Chinese ring-necked' and 'green pheasant' hybrids,<ref name=h2g2/> which were commonly used for rewilding.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

[[File:Common Pheasant Phasianus Colchicus.jpg|thumb|A close up of the head and body of a common pheasant]]
===North America===
Common pheasants were introduced in North America beginning in 1773,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pheasant.com/facts.aspx#history|title=Pheasant History and Facts|last=Farm|first=MacFarlane Pheasants - Pheasant Chicks, Mature Birds, America's Largest Pheasant|website=www.pheasant.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-03-10}}</ref> with the first large-scale successful introduction occurring in 1881 in the [[Williamette Valley]] of [[Oregon]], followed by [[Washington (state)|Washington]] in 1883 and [[California]] in 1889. Stocking of large pheasant populations in the plains and eastern states occurred in following decades after successful hunting seasons were recorded in the western states.<ref name="Edminster1954">{{cite book |last=Edminster |first=Frank Custer |date=1954 |title=American Game Birds of Field and Forest: Their Habits, Ecology, and Management |chapter=The Ring-necked Pheasant |location=New York |publisher=Scribner |pages=1–5 |isbn= |url=https://archive.org/details/americangamebird0000edmi |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref> Pheasants have become well established throughout much of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rocky Mountain]] states ([[Colorado]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Wyoming]], etc.), the [[Midwest]], the [[Great Plains|Plains]] states, as well as [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]].<ref name=OregonLive/><ref name=pheasantsforever/>  In the southwest, they can even be seen south of the Rockies in [[Bosque del Apache]] National Wildlife Refuge {{Convert|161|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of Albuquerque, New Mexico.<ref name=Long1981/><ref name=BIE/> The largest populations of pheasants in the United States occur in a continuous belt over the [[Great Plain]]s, the [[Corn Belt]] and the [[Wheat_production_in_the_United_States#Geography|Wheat Belt]], with extensions of its range reaching into southern [[Canada]] and the farmland areas of [[New England]]. Smaller populations occur in valleys and irrigated areas through the [[Intermountain West]] and the coast states, although these are separated by high mountain areas inhospitable to pheasants. Introductions failed in the more humid Southern states and in the [[American Southwest]].<ref name="Edminster1954"/>

Common pheasants have also been introduced to [[Hawaiian Islands]], [[Chile]], [[Uruguay]], [[Peru]], [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[South Africa]], [[New Zealand]], and [[Australia]], including the island state of [[Tasmania]] and small offshore islands such as [[Rottnest Island]] off Western Australia.<ref name=Long1981/><ref name=BIE/>

Most common pheasants bagged in the United States are wild-born feral pheasants.{{Citation needed|date= May 2014}} In some states<ref name=Ohio/> captive-reared and released birds make up much of the population.<ref name=Robertson1997p125/>

Pheasant hunting is very popular in much of the US, especially in the Great Plains states, where a mix of farmland and native grasslands provides ideal habitat. South Dakota alone has an annual harvest of over 1 million birds a year by over 200,000 hunters.<ref name=SD/>

==== Negative impacts on other birds ====
There are a number of negative effects of common pheasants on other game birds, including: [[Brood parasite|nest parasitism]], disease, aggression, and competition for resources.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Hallett |first1=Diana L. |last2=Edwards |first2=William R. |last3=Burger |first3=George V.  |title=Pheasants: symptoms of wildlife problems on agricultural lands |date=1988 |publisher=North Central Section of the Wildlife Society |oclc=19288751}}</ref>&nbsp; Nest parasitism, or [[Brood parasite|brood parasitism]], is common in pheasants because of their propensity to nest near other birds and the fact that nesting requirements are similar to those of other prairie birds and [[waterfowl]] that inhabit the same areas.&nbsp; This phenomenon has been observed in [[grey partridge]]s; [[Tympanuchus|prairie chicken]]s; several types of [[duck]], rail, [[grouse]], [[Turkey (bird)|turkey]]s, and others.<ref name=":0" />&nbsp; Effects of nest parasitism may include abandonment of nests with a high proportion of foreign eggs, lower hatching rates, and lower numbers of eggs laid by the host species. Pheasant eggs also have a shorter incubation time than many of their nestmates, which may result in the individual watching over the nest to abandon her own eggs after the pheasants hatch, thinking that the remaining eggs are not viable.<ref name=":0" />&nbsp; Pheasants raised in other species' nests often imprint on their caretaker, which may result in them adopting atypical behaviour for their species. This is sometimes the cause of hybridisation of species as pheasants adopt the mating behaviour of their nest's host species.<ref name=":0" />

Pheasants often compete with other native birds for resources. Studies have shown that they can lead to decreased populations of [[Colinus|bobwhite]]s and [[partridge]]s due to habitat and food competition.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Errington|first=Paul L.|date=1945-01-01|title=Some Contributions of a Fifteen-Year Local Study of the Northern Bobwhite to a Knowledge of Population Phenomena|journal=Ecological Monographs|volume=15|issue=1|pages=2–34|doi=10.2307/1943293|jstor=1943293|bibcode=1945EcoM...15....1E |issn=0012-9615}}</ref> Insects are a valuable food source for both pheasants and partridges and competition may lead to decreased populations of partridges.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Potts|first=G. R.|date=June 1970|title=Recent Changes in the Farmland Fauna with Special Reference to the Decline of the Grey Partridge|journal=Bird Study|volume=17|issue=2|pages=145–166|doi=10.1080/00063657009476266|issn=0006-3657|doi-access=free|bibcode=1970BirdS..17..145P }}</ref> Pheasants may also introduce disease, such as [[Histomoniasis|blackhead]], to native populations. While pheasants tolerate the infection well, other birds such as [[ruffed grouse]], [[Chukar partridge|chukar]], and grey partridge are highly susceptible.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lund|first1=Everett E.|last2=Chute|first2=Anne M.|date=January 1972|title=The Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus) as a Host for Heterakis gallinarum and Histomonas meleagridis|journal=American Midland Naturalist|volume=87|issue=1|pages=1–7|doi=10.2307/2423877|jstor=2423877|issn=0003-0031}}</ref> Pheasants also have a tendency to harass or kill other birds. One study noted that in pheasant vs. prairie chicken interactions, the pheasants were victorious 78% of the time.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Vance |first1=D.Russel |last2=Westemeier |first2=Ronald L.  |title=Interactions of Pheasants and Prairie Chickens in Illinois. |date=1979 |oclc=870462218}}</ref>

==== Management strategies ====
A variety of management strategies have been suggested for areas that are home to species that are particularly threatened by pheasants, such as the prairie chickens and grey partridge. These strategies include mowing grass to decrease the nesting cover preferred by pheasants, decreasing pheasant roosting habitat, shooting pheasants in organised hunts, trapping and removing them from areas where there are high concentrations of birds of threatened species, and others.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Westemeier|first=R. L.|title=Perdix III: gray partridge/ring-necked pheasant workshop|publisher=Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources|year=1983|location=Madison, WI|pages=117–122}}</ref>

==== Population change ====
While pheasant populations are not in any danger, they have been decreasing in the United States over the last 30 years, largely in agricultural areas.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Coates|first1=Peter S.|last2=Brussee|first2=Brianne E.|last3=Howe|first3=Kristy B.|last4=Fleskes|first4=Joseph P.|last5=Dwight|first5=Ian A.|last6=Connelly|first6=Daniel P.|last7=Meshriy|first7=Matt G.|last8=Gardner|first8=Scott C.|date=2017-03-15|title=Long-term and widespread changes in agricultural practices influence ring-necked pheasant abundance in California|url= |journal=Ecology and Evolution|volume=7|issue=8|pages=2546–2559|doi=10.1002/ece3.2675|pmid=28428846|pmc=5395463|bibcode=2017EcoEv...7.2546C |issn=2045-7758}}</ref> This is likely due to changes in farming practices, application of [[pesticide]]s, [[habitat fragmentation]], and increased predation due to changes in crops grown.&nbsp; Many crops beneficial for pheasants (such as [[barley]]) are not being farmed as much in favour of using the land for more lucrative crops, such as nut trees.&nbsp; Many of these new crops are detrimental to pheasant survival.<ref name=":1" /> Pheasants prefer to nest in areas of significant [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] cover, such as [[Perennial plant|perennial]] grasses, so many agricultural areas are not conducive to nesting anymore.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dwight|first1=Ian A.|last2=Vogt|first2=Jessica H.|last3=Coates|first3=Peter S.|last4=Fleskes|first4=Joseph P.|last5=Connelly|first5=Daniel P.|last6=Gardner|first6=Scott C.|date=2020|title=Linking nest microhabitat selection to nest survival within declining pheasant populations in the Central Valley of California|journal=Wildlife Research|volume=47|issue=5|page=391|doi=10.1071/wr18199|s2cid=220834643|issn=1035-3712|doi-access=free|bibcode=2020WildR..47..391D }}</ref> Pheasant hens also experience higher levels of [[predation]] in areas without patches of grassland.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Schmitz|first1=Richard A.|last2=Clark|first2=William R.|date=January 1999|title=Survival of Ring-Necked Pheasant Hens during Spring in Relation to Landscape Features|journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management|volume=63|issue=1|page=147|doi=10.2307/3802495|jstor=3802495|issn=0022-541X}}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, about 50 million pheasants reared in captivity are now released each summer, a number which has significantly increased since the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dalton |first=Jane |date=31 October 2020 |title= Game-bird shooting will need licences, ministers announce – days before legal battle|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/game-bird-shoot-licence-license-pheasant-partridge-chris-packham-b1457063.html |work= [[The Independent]]|access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref>  Most of these birds are shot during the open season (1 October to 1 February), and few survive for a year.  The result is a wildly fluctuating population, from 50 million in July to less than 5 million in June.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatthesciencesays.org/estimating-the-number-and-biomass-of-pheasants-in-britain/|publisher=What the Science Says|title=Estimating the number and biomass of pheasants in Britain|date=14 July 2020|access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref>

==Relationship with humans==
The indigenous [[Paiwan people]] of Taiwan adorn motifs of the bird (''tiativ'' in their language) on beams of their homes.<ref>{{cite thesis|page=94|year=2015|author=Hueiyun Chen|degree=PhD|publisher=The Australian National University |title=Form and Meaning in Paiwanese Art and Material Culture|url=http://hdl.handle.net/1885/106006}}</ref> Pheasant feathers are worn by commoners including skilled hunters even as far as elected politicians among Paiwan commoners in modern times, in contrast to [[mountain hawk-eagle]] feathers reserved for hereditary chiefs (''mamazangilan'').<ref>''Ibid''., pp. 313–4.</ref>

===As gamebirds===
{{Main|Pheasant shooting}}
[[File:Game birds Borough Market.jpg|thumb|left|For sale at [[Borough Market]], [[London]]]]
[[File:Kerygma Cockers Echo & Pheasant.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Field line [[English Cocker Spaniel]] has brought in the quarry]]
[[File:PheasantImpact2.jpg|thumb|right|Collisions between pheasants and road vehicles are common in the UK.<ref name=Independent/>]]

Common pheasants are bred to be hunted and are shot in great numbers in Europe, especially the UK, where they are shot on the traditional formal "driven shoot" principles, whereby paying guns have birds driven over them by beaters, and on smaller "rough shoots". The open season in the UK is 1 October – 1 February, under the [[Game Act 1831]] ([[1 & 2 Will. 4]]. c. 32). Generally they are shot by hunters employing [[gun dog]]s to help find, flush and retrieve shot birds. [[Retriever]]s, [[spaniels]] and [[pointing breed]]s are used to hunt pheasants.

The [[doggerel]] "Up gets a [[Guinea (British coin)|guinea]], bang goes a penny-halfpenny, and down comes a [[Half crown (British coin)|half a crown]]" reflects the expensive sport of 19th century driven shoots in Britain,<ref name=Robertson1997p124/> when pheasants were often shot for sport, rather than as food. It was a popular royal pastime in Britain to shoot common pheasants. [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George&nbsp;V]] shot over 1,000 pheasants out of a total bag of 3,937 over a six-day period in December 1913 during a competition with a friend; however, he did not do enough to beat him.<ref name=h2g2/>

Common pheasants are traditionally a target of small game [[poaching|poachers]] in the UK. The [[Roald Dahl]] novel ''[[Danny the Champion of the World]]'' featured a poacher (and his son) who lived in the UK and illegally hunted common pheasants.

Pheasant farming is a common practice and is frequently done [[Intensive farming|intensively]], with serious adverse impacts on native species.<ref name="c489">{{cite journal | last1=Blackburn | first1=Tim M. | last2=Gaston | first2=Kevin J. | title=Contribution of non-native galliforms to annual variation in biomass of British birds | journal=Biological Invasions | volume=23 | issue=5 | date=2021 | issn=1387-3547 | doi=10.1007/s10530-021-02458-y | doi-access=free | pages=1549–1562 | bibcode=2021BiInv..23.1549B | url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10530-021-02458-y.pdf | access-date=2024-12-26}}</ref> Birds are supplied both to [[hunting]] preserves/estates and restaurants, with smaller numbers being available for home cooks.

The carcasses were often hung for a time to improve the meat by slight decomposition, as with most other game. Modern cookery generally uses moist [[roasting]] and farm-raised female birds.

==See also==
*[[Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Fisherian runaway|Fisherian Runaway]]

{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=AAB>{{cite AllAboutBirds |Ring-necked Pheasant |accessdate=25 April 2011}}</ref>

<ref name=Albin1731>{{harvnb|Albin|1731|pp=24–26}}</ref>

<ref name=Aldrovandi1600>{{harvnb|Aldrovandi|1600|pp=45–59}}</ref>

<!-- <ref name=BBCFour2005>{{harvnb|BBC Four|2005}}</ref> -->

<ref name=BIE>{{cite web |url=http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Phasianus%20colchicus# |title=Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758 |publisher=National Research Infrastructure for Australia |access-date=12 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403010853/http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Phasianus%20colchicus |archive-date=3 April 2015 }}</ref>

<ref name=Cross2006>{{harvnb|Cross|2006}}</ref>

<ref name=Gregory2005>{{cite web |last=Gregory |first=T.R. |year=2005 |url=http://www.genomesize.com/statistics.php?stats=birds |title=Birds – Animal Genome Size Database |publisher=Genomesize.com |access-date=25 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514121902/http://www.genomesize.com/statistics.php?stats=birds |archive-date=14 May 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name=h2g2>{{harvnb|h2g2|2007}}</ref>

<ref name=Henninger1906>{{harvnb|Henninger|1906}}</ref>

<ref name=Independent>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/roadkill-one-from-the-road-414972.html |title=Roadkill: One from the road |newspaper=The Independent |date=7 September 2006 |access-date=25 April 2011 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409072118/http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/roadkill-one-from-the-road-414972.html |archive-date=9 April 2010 }}</ref>

<ref name=linne>{{harvnb|Linnaeus|1758}}</ref>

<ref name=Lin-Liu2006>e.g. {{harvnb|Lin-Liu|McMahon|Mooney|Owyang|2006}}</ref>

<ref name=Long1981>{{cite book |last=Long |first=John L. |year=1981 |title=Introduced Birds of the World |publisher=Agricultural Protection Board of Western Australia |pages=21–493}}</ref>

<ref name=Madge2002>{{harvnb|Madge|McGowan|Kirwan|2002}}</ref>

<ref name=NDGFD1992>{{harvnb|NDGFD|1992}}</ref>

<ref name=OED>{{OED|pheasant}}</ref>

<ref name=Olina1622>{{harvnb|Olina|1622|p=49, plate 48}}</ref>

<ref name=OOS2004>{{harvnb|OOS|2004}}</ref>
<ref name=Ohio>e.g. [[Ohio]]: {{harvnb|OOS|2004}}</ref>

<ref name=Sokos2014>{{cite journal| url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283788773|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022235651/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283788773_The_last_indigenous_Black-necked_Pheasant_population_of_Europe|archive-date=2023-10-22| author1=Sokos, Ch.| author2=Birtsas, P.| year=2014| title=The last indigenous Black-necked Pheasant population of Europe| journal=G@llinformed| volume=8| pages=13–22}}</ref>

<ref name=Kumerloeve1976>{{cite journal |url=https://www.zoologicalbulletin.de/BzB_Volumes/Volume_27_1_2/047_052_BZB27_1_2_Kumerloeve_H.PDF|author1=Kumerloeve, H. |year=1976| title=Zum Vorkommen und zur taxonomischen Beurteilung türkischer Populationen von ''Phasianus colchicus'' L.| journal=Bonn. Zool. Beitr.| volume=27 (1/2)| pages=47–52}}</ref>

<ref name=Schweizer19>{{cite journal |author1=Liu, S. |author2= Liu, Y. | author3=Jelen, E. |author4=Alibadian, M. | author5=Yao, Ch.-T. |author6=Li, X. |author7=Kayvanfar, N. |author8=Wang|author9=Vahidi, F. |author10=Han, J. |author11=Sundev, G. |author12=Zhang, Zh. |author13=Schweizer, M. |url= https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2019.12.21.881813v1| title=Regionally divergent drivers of historical diversification in the late Quaternary in a widely distributed generalist species, the common pheasant ''Phasianus colchicus''| journal=bioRxiv|date=21 December 2019 |access-date=4 March 2020| doi=10.1101/2019.12.21.881813|doi-access=free}}</ref>

<ref name=Hagenbecki>{{cite journal |url= https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/MT842672.1 |title=GenBank Data MT842672-MT842678|website=www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/MT842672.1|date=5 May 2021 }}</ref>

<ref name=Bohl1964>{{cite journal |url=https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ssrw83|author1=Bohl, W. H. |year=1964| title=A Study and Review of the Japanese Green and the Korean Ring-necked Pheasants| journal=Special Scientific Report - Wildlife, United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife| volume=83| pages=1–65}}</ref>

<ref name=OregonLive>{{cite news |last=Terry |first=John |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2011/08/oregon_pioneer_owen_nickerson.html |title=Oregon pioneer Owen Nickerson Denny was about more than his birds |website=OregonLive.com|date=20 August 2011 |access-date=11 March 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=pheasantsforever>{{cite web |url=http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/pheasant.jsp |title=Pheasant History, Ecology & Biology |website=Pheasantsforever.org|access-date=11 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301013330/http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/pheasant.jsp |archive-date=1 March 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=Proper1990>{{harvnb|Proper|1990|pp=21–22}}</ref>

<ref name=Ray1713>{{harvnb|Ray|1713|p=56}}</ref>

<ref name=Ray2001>{{harvnb|Ray|Adams|2001}}</ref>

<ref name=Robertson1997>{{harvnb|Robertson|1997|pp=123–136}}</ref>
<ref name=Robertson1997p124>{{harvnb|Robertson|1997|p=124}}</ref>
<ref name=Robertson1997p125>{{harvnb|Robertson|1997|p=125}}</ref>

<ref name=SD>{{cite web |url=http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/harvest/reports/Pheasant.pdf |title=Pheasant |publisher=South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks|website=gfp.sd.gov|access-date=10 March 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=Sibley2000>{{harvnb|Sibley|2000|p=141}}</ref>

<ref name=URB2007>{{harvnb|URB|2007}}</ref>
}}

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* {{cite journal |last=Henninger |first=W.F. |year=1906 |title=A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio |journal=[[Wilson Bulletin]] |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=47–60 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v018n02/p0047-p0060.pdf }}
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==External links==
{{Commons category|Phasianus colchicus}}
{{Wikispecies|Phasianus colchicus}}
* [https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3091id.html Ring-necked Pheasant - ''Phasianus colchicus''] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* [https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ring-necked_Pheasant.html Ring-necked Pheasant Species Account] – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061129060343/http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BD0173 Ring-necked Pheasant] at [http://www.enature.com enature.com]
* [http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/p/pheasant/ Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) pheasant page]
* {{InternetBirdCollection|ring-necked-pheasant-phasianus-colchicus|Ring-necked pheasant}}
* {{VIREO|Ring-necked+Pheasant|Ring-necked pheasant}}
* {{IUCN_Map|45100023/166454046|Phasianus colchicus}}

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{{Phasianidae}}
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{{Taxonbar |from=Q25432}}
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[[Category:Phasianus|common pheasant]]
[[Category:Poultry]]
[[Category:Birds of Asia]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1758|common pheasant]]
[[Category:Symbols of South Dakota]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Extant Pleistocene first appearances]]