Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758

76–89 cmLength68 cmWingspan1.1 kgWeight

The male has a green head, red face and long, patterned tail, while the female is mottled brown overall.

Busiest months: May · Most records: United Kingdom, United States, Canada

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male has a dark green head, small crest and red wattle
Male has a very long brown tail, often with black barring
Presence of a white collar in the male varies among subspecies
Male's body feathers mostly rufous-brown, with variable color morphs

Male, female and young

Female has plain plumage, mottled rufous-brown to gray overall; juveniles resemble the female, and young males begin to grow bright feathers about 10 weeks after hatching.

Where and when it's recorded

Common Pheasant has been recorded at 2,187 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 68 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Salmon Arm BayCanada5,975 records
Monhegan IslandUnited States5,324 records
Coquitlam—ƛ̓éx t m (tla-hut-um) Regional ParkCanada4,749 records

More places

Codling yard, SackvilleCanada4,674 records
Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom4,553 records
Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom4,300 records
Reifel Bird SanctuaryCanada3,805 records
Yolo Bypass Wildlife AreaUnited States3,664 records
Hartlen PointCanada3,629 records
Farmington Bay WMAUnited States3,620 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom United States Canada China Czechia South Korea Germany France

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), ring-necked pheasant, or blue-headed pheasant, is a bird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae). The genus name comes from Latin phasianus 'pheasant'. Although Phasianus was previously thought to be closely related to the genus Gallus, the genus of junglefowl and domesticated chickens, recent studies show that they are in different subfamilies, having diverged over 20 million years ago.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Common Pheasant?

The Common Pheasant is about 76–89 cm long, with a wingspan of 68 cm and weighs around 1.1 kg.

Where does the Common Pheasant live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: central, eastern Eurasia, southern China, Taiwan (China) and northern Vietnam. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

When is the best time to see the Common Pheasant?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Common Pheasant endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Pheasant as Least Concern.

What does the Common Pheasant eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Common Pheasant in?

It belongs to the family Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae), order Galliformes.

At a glance

Length: 76–89 cm
Wingspan: 68 cm
Weight: 1.1 kg
Habitat: Towns & farmland
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 232 mm
Tail: 393 mm
Bill: 35 mm
Tarsus: 63 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Oriental: central, eastern Eurasia, southern China, Taiwan (China) and northern Vietnam

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 17

Phasianus colchicus shawii w China
Phasianus colchicus tarimensis Tarim Basin to Lop Nur (w China)
Phasianus colchicus vlangalii Qaidam Basin (wc China)
Phasianus colchicus strauchi ne Qinghai (c China)
Phasianus colchicus sohokhotensis e Gansu (c China)
Phasianus colchicus satscheuensis w Gansu (nc China)
Phasianus colchicus alaschanicus Ningxia (nc China)
Phasianus colchicus kiangsuensis ne China
Phasianus colchicus karpowi ne China to Korean Pen.
Phasianus colchicus pallasi se Siberia, ne China and ne Korean Pen.
Phasianus colchicus suehschanensis nw Sichua and s Gansu (wc China)
Phasianus colchicus elegans w Sichuan to nw Yunnan (wc China), ne Myanmar and e Tibet
Phasianus colchicus decollatus c China
Phasianus colchicus rothschildi se Yunnan (sc China) and nw Vietnam
Phasianus colchicus takatsukasae sw Guangdong (s China) and ne Vietnam
Phasianus colchicus torquatus e China
Phasianus colchicus formosanus Taiwan (China)