Bird Watch: Common pheasant
These game birds are so much more than just a pretty face, as Ruth explains…
EVERY now and again, most often in winter when natural food is scarce, you may find your garden invaded by a rather handsome visitor.
Male pheasants are one of our most eye-catching birds, with their scarlet wattles, iridescent green-blue heads, richly dappled chestnut bodies and long, aristocratic tail feathers.
Unfortunately, their demeanor doesn’t quite match their elegance. A running pheasant always looks like it’s in full panic mode because it’s a long way from home and has just remembered it’s left the bath running with the plug in.
The female has less remarkable plumage, and is a squat, dull brown bird. Several are often seen in a field with one male lording over them.
For all their ubiquity (millions of chicks are imported to the UK every year for shooting), pheasants are not native to the UK. They originate from the shores of the Black Sea and are thought to have been introduced here by the Romans. They will eat seeds, grains, leaves, insects and berries and can become quite tame, coming right up to the house if they are regular visitors and there is a reliable source of food in the garden. Male pheasants will mate with several females and then leave them to incubate and raise the chicks alone. They have one brood a year, with clutches containing between 10 and 14 eggs. A couple of years ago AG editor Garry kindly presented me with a feathered brace of pheasants that I took home, hung for a few days and then plucked (to the bemused delight of our cats), gutted and casseroled with lots of autumnal vegetables in a rich, winey sauce. They make a delicious meal – just watch your teeth on the shot pellets!