Specie's Page                                               Common Pheasant  or Ring-necked Pheasant - Birds of the Field & Hedgerow

Common Pheasant:

UK Status: Resident, not native, they were introduced centuries ago for sport shooting. Roast Pheasant is a very tasty treat, and can be seen on sale in butchers shop windows.

Habitat: This popular game bird is often seen along the edges of countryside roads, or in the fields alongside. They feed on grain, seeds and insects, and their loud bark often startles those walkers, and hikers who are unaware of it's presence.

Breeding: This bird nest in dense cover, usually in woodlands, or under a hedge, though occasionally in more open situations. They lay many olive green eggs, up to a dozen in a scrape on the ground, usually lined with grass or leaves.

Comment: Except for the far north and west of Scotland, they are fairly common and wide spread throughout the rest of the British Isles.

BE AWARE PLEASE:  Ground nesting birds are very vulnerable to having their eggs and chicks smashed or crushed. This can happen when people are unaware of their presence, or when dogs are allowed to run loose during the breeding season. Nests are very well hidden, and are not usually spotted until it's to late. Dogs often have no concern for ground nesting birds, please keep them on their leads from April through to the end of September.