Golden Pheasants Graceful and

Glamorous
Or
Rainbow-colored winged Golden
Pheasant
By Saba Amir Gondal
Native to the mountains of China, Golden Pheasants are fabulously
beautiful creations of Allah that are so well adapted to living in captivity
they have become popular pets in many countries far from their original
habitat.
Pheasant is a bird that is closely related to wild chickens, quails and
partridges. There are 35 species of pheasant that originate from Asia.

Habitat:
These birds are widely distributed in Asia, Europe and North America
today. Pheasants inhabit forests, scrublands, swamps, grasslands and
areas near the farms. They are popular game birds that are consumed as
delicacy in various parts of the world. Other factor which negatively
affects population of wild pheasants is habitat destruction. Even though
number of pheasant decreases continuously in the wild, they are not on
the list of endangered species.

Interesting Pheasant Facts:

Pheasants can reach 20 to 36 inches in length and 2 to 4 pounds of
weight. Males are much larger than females.

Sophisticated Male Pheasant

Males and females do not look alike. This phenomenon is known as
dimorphism. Males are brightly colored and covered with golden, brown,
green, purple and white feathers. Head is red and equipped with small
crest. Neck is green and have white collar. Females are covered with
brown plumage. Young males are brown in color until the age of 10 weeks
when they become brightly colored.

Stretched Protracted Tail

Pheasants have long, strong legs with four toes equipped with sharp
claws. Males have long tails.

Defence Mechanism
Pheasants have excellent eyesight and sense of hearing which are used
for detection of predators.

Great Runner and Swimmer

Pheasants can run at the speed of 8 to 10 miles per hour and fly at the
speed of 35 to 45 miles per hour. Pheasants are also able to swim.

Pheasants are omnivores (their diet includes animals and plants). They
usually eat seed, berries, fruit, insects, worms and small reptiles.
Pheasants are able to dig one foot through the snow to find food during
the winter.

Predators of Pheasant
Main predators of pheasants are foxes, hawks and owls which hunt young
birds and raccoons and skunks which feed on the eggs.

Famous for Flesh

In China the Golden Pheasant is a great favorite, not only for its splendid
plumage and elegant form, but for the excellence of its flesh, which is said
to surpass even that of the common pheasant. It has been introduced into
Europe, but is fitted only for the aviary.

Remain in Hiding
Despite the males showy appearance, these hardy birds are very difficult
to see in their natural habitat, which is dense, dark young conifer forests
with sparse undergrowth. Consequently, little is known of their behavior in
the wild.

Roost at Night
Pheasants are not migratory birds. They stay in their roosts during the
cold weather. Pheasants are able to survive without food couple of days.
However, at night these birds will always leave the ground and look for
trees and nests to sleep in, at a safe distance from any lurking predators.

Maintain Homeostasis
During the summer, pheasants breathe rapidly (quickly exhale and inhale)
to eliminate excess body heat and maintain stable body temperature.

Social Bird
Pheasants are gregarious birds that live in small flocks outside the season.

Hens can Adopt Chicks!

Hens lay around up to 20 eggs. Mother takes care of the chicks until they
learn to fly. That usually happens two weeks after hatching. Females have
several broods per year. They sometimes even adopt abandoned or lost
chickens. Sometimes people get some of thier eggs and put them under
an old hen. By and by little pheasants hatch out, and the hen is very good
to them. She watches over them and feeds them, but they do not wish to

stay with her; they like their wild life. If they are not well fed they will fly
away

Expected Age
Pheasants have low survival rate. 35% of young birds die before they
reach the age of 6 to 10 weeks. Only 2-3% birds manage to survive to the
age of 3 years.

Expected Age
Pheasants can survive up to 3 years in the wild.