Pheasant
Pheasants are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eurasia. The classification "pheasant" is paraphyletic, as birds referred to as pheasants are included within both the subfamilies Phasianinae and Pavoninae, and in many cases are more closely related to smaller phasianids, grouse, and turkey than to other pheasants.
Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly decorated with bright colours and adornments such as wattles. Males are usually larger than females and have longer tails. Males play no part in rearing the young.
A pheasant's call or cry can be recognised by the fact that it sounds like a rusty sink valve being turned.
Pheasants eat mostly seeds, grains, roots, and berries, while in the summer they take advantage of insects, fresh green shoots, spiders, earthworms, and snails. However, as an introduced species, in the UK they are a threat to endangered native adders.
The best-known is the common pheasant, which is widespread throughout the world, in introduced feral populations and in farm operations. Various other pheasant species are popular in aviaries, such as the golden pheasant.
Etymology
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "pheasant" ultimately comes from Phasis, the ancient name of the Rioni River in Georgia.It passed from Greek to Latin to French then to English, appearing for the first time in English around 1299.
Species in taxonomic order
This list is ordered to show presumed relationships between species.- Subfamily Phasianinae
- *Tribe Ithaginini
- **Blood pheasant
- ***Blood pheasant
- *Tribe Pucrasiini
- **Koklass
- ***Koklass pheasant
- *Tribe Phasianini
- **Long-tailed pheasants
- ***Reeves's pheasant
- ***Elliot's pheasant
- ***Mrs. Hume's pheasant
- ***Mikado pheasant
- ***Copper pheasant
- **Ruffed pheasants
- ***Golden pheasant
- ***Lady Amherst's pheasant
- **Typical pheasants
- ***Green pheasant
- ***Common pheasant
- **** Caucasus pheasants, Phasianus colchicus colchicus group
- **** White-winged pheasants, Phasianus colchicus chrysomelas/principalis group
- ***** Prince of Wales pheasant, Phasianus colchicus principalis
- **** Mongolian ring-necked pheasants or white-winged ring-necked pheasants, Phasianus colchicus mongolicus group
- **** Tarim pheasants, Phasianus colchicus tarimensis group
- **** Chinese ring-necked pheasants, Phasianus colchicus torquatus group
- ***** Taiwan pheasant, Phasianus colchicus formosanus
- *Cheer pheasant
- **Cheer pheasant
- *Gallopheasants
- **Kalij pheasant
- ***White-crested kalij pheasant
- ***Nepal kalij pheasant
- ***Black-backed kalij pheasant
- ***Black kalij pheasant
- ***Black-breasted kalij pheasant
- ***William's kalij pheasant
- ***Oates' kalij pheasant
- ***Crawfurd's kalij pheasant
- ***Lineated kalij pheasant
- **Silver pheasant
- **Imperial pheasant
- **Edwards's pheasant
- **Vietnamese pheasant
- **Swinhoe's pheasant
- **Salvadori's pheasant
- ***Hoogerwerf's pheasant ''
- **Malayan crestless fireback
- **Bornean crestless fireback
- **Bornean crested fireback
- ***Lesser Bornean crested fireback
- ***Greater Bornean crested fireback
- **Malayan crested fireback
- **Siamese fireback
- **Bulwer's pheasant
- *Eared pheasants
- **White eared pheasant
- **Tibetan eared pheasant
- **Brown eared pheasant
- **Blue eared pheasant
- Subfamily Pavoninae
- *Tribe Pavonini
- **Crested argus
- ***Vietnamese crested argus
- ***Malayan crested argus
- **Great argus
- ***Great argus
- *Tribe Polyprectronini
- **Peacock-pheasants
- ***Bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant
- ***Mountain peacock-pheasant
- ***Germain's peacock-pheasant
- ***Grey peacock-pheasant
- ***Malayan peacock-pheasant
- ***Bornean peacock-pheasant
- ***Palawan peacock-pheasant
Previous classifications
- Euplocamus was used, for example, by Hume and Marshall in their Game Birds of India, Burmah and Ceylon.
- Gennceus, was used, for example, by Frank Finn in and .
| Vernacular | Hume & Marshall | Finn: Sporting Birds | Finn: Game Birds | Contemporary |
| Vieillot's crested fireback | E. vielloti | Lophura rufa | L. ignita rufa | |
| Black-backed kalij | E. melanonotus | G. melanonotus | L. leucomelanos melanota | |
| Common or white-crested kalij | E. albocristatus | G. albocristatus | L. leucomelanos hamiltoni | |
| Nepal kalij | E. leucomelanus | G. leucomelanus | L. leucomelanos leucomelanos | |
| Purple, Horsfield's or black-breasted kalij | E. horsfieldi | G. horsfieldi | L. leucomelanos lathami | |
| Lineated kalij | E. lineatus | G. lineatus also: Burmese silver pheasant | L. leucomelanos lineata | |
| Anderson's silver pheasant | ? | G. andersoni, considered hybrid of L. nycthemera and L. l. lineata | L. nycthemera andersoni | |
| Crawfurd's silver pheasant | E. andersoni | considered a further cross of Anderson's and L. l. lineata | ? | |
| Crawfurd's kalij | ? | G. andersoni | L. leucomelanos crawfurdi | |
| Cuvier's kalij | ? | G. cuvieri | ? | |
| Oates's kalij | ? | G. oatesi | L. leucomelanos oatesi | |
| Whitehead's silver pheasant | ? | G. whiteheadi | ? | |
| Swinhoe's kalij | ? | G. swinhoii | L. swinhoii |