Pheasants- Hebridean Birds
Western Isles Birds - Pheasants. You cant mistake the male Pheasants with their iridescent copper colour plumage.The head and small ear tufts and neck are green. Females are mottled with paler brown and black.
The Pheasant - bird sightings Western Isles - Scotland.
Although this bird is commonplace in other parts of the UK - here in The Isle of Harris and Lewis it is quite rare.
| Bird Overview - Pheasant |
| Family |
Partridges, quails, pheasants and allies
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Latin name |
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Population |
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Similar Species |
Golden Pheasant
Lady Amhests Pheasant |
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| Description |
You cant mistake the male Pheasants with their iridescent copper colour plumage.The head and small ear tufts and neck are green. Females are mottled with paler brown and black. Some races (P. torquatus) have white neck band. The young pheasants are similar to females with shorter tails. The pheasant was introduced into Europe. - perhaps from China in about 1300 BC.
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| Size |
| Length - 75-90 cm (30-36") Weight: 900-1500g (2-3½lb) |
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| Habitat |
The "Wild" birds often resort to marshy, reedy places or woodland edges.
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| Food |
Pheasants have a varied diet which they forage for on the ground and occasionally in trees. Pheasants mainly eat grains, seeds and fruit - berries, insects, worms, grass.
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| Voice |
Loud explosive corr-kok - and a sudden "whir" of the wins
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| Breeding |
Males play no part in rearing the young. Nests are hollow - on the ground and unlined or sometimes just covered with a small scattering of grass and seeds. There are 8 - 15 eggs - 1 brood in April - July.
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| Misc. Info |
The pheasants are put down by the Estates and shooting people in the past and in current times however they hang on for years in some places with the most successful being around Stornoway where they were resident for 40 years or so up until the second world war.
Around about 35 million are put down annually throughout Britain for sporting purposes
Conservation - The Pheasant is protected by the Game Acts, which give protection during the close season and allow shooting from September to February.
According to mythology, Argonauts took them from the river Phasis in Colchis. Egyptian Pharaohs kept Pheasants, Alexander the Great brought them to Greece from Asia. Some species first came into North America and then to Europe. At present, Pheasants are found in a variety of habitats
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