| Originally from Asia the common pheasant was introduced into
the United Kingdom a long time ago, originally thought to be by the Normans,
most authorities now think it was introduced even earlier by the Romans.
The males have a dark green head, a red face and chestnut, golden-brown
and black markings. Females are much duller, mottled with pale brown and
dark brown markings. Young pheasants look similar to the females but have
shorter tails. A game bird, bred extensively for shooting, today's pheasants
are often a combination of many different imported strains. Usually seen
foraging for food in open fields near woodland or other dense cover. |
