Common pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

The common pheasant is a diurnal ground bird of Eurasian grasslands and farmland edges. Often solitary outside breeding, it depends on dense cover.

Key facts

Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is an omnivore animal classified as Bird · Galliformes · Phasianidae.
Primary habitats are grassland · forest, with a range across Palearctic.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is solitary, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
The common pheasant is a diurnal ground bird of Eurasian grasslands and farmland edges.
It uses grassland, field margins, scrub, and open woodland.
Typical lifespan: 8-25 years

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

It uses grassland, field margins, scrub, and open woodland. Feeding ground near thick grass or hedgerow cover is especially useful.

Wingspan is about 70-90 cm and weight about 0.5-3 kg. Males have long tails and glossy colors, while females are brown and well camouflaged.

Active by day, it walks while feeding and runs into cover when alarmed. Flight is usually a sudden burst of strong wingbeats over a short distance.

It is omnivorous, eating seeds, shoots, fruit, insects, and other small foods. It pecks and scratches over the ground.

Males display and call from territories in the breeding season. Females incubate ground nests, and chicks walk soon after hatching.

Its status is listed as Least Concern. It has been introduced in many places and often thrives in mixed farmland and grassland.