Species group · Birds
Pheasants
WAnimals has 3 species of pheasant, all in the family Phasianidae.
- 3 species
- 1 family
- 53 countries
- 39 parks
- Weight
- 525 g – 2 kg
- Length
- 50 cm – 1.3 m
- Lifespan
- 2 – 15 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.
All 3 species of pheasants on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 53 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
It has been one of the commonest pheasants in aviculture collections worldwide since the 18th century, to the point that feral populations exist in several countries outside its natural range.
From Silver Pheasant
The wild populations vary so much from one mountain range to another that more than a dozen subspecies have been described, some with an almost black rather than silvery back.
From Silver Pheasant
It is polygynous: a single male may hold a harem of as many as twelve females, which he defends fiercely through the breeding season.
From Common Pheasant
It eats seeds, grain, shoots and berries, supplemented with insects and small invertebrates.
From Common Pheasant
Only 5% of birds survive to three years old in the wild.
From Common Pheasant
Its orange-and-black cape can be spread: the male opens it like a sideways fan that covers half his face during courtship, showing the female only one eye as he positions himself beside her.
From Golden Pheasant
Despite plumage that seems impossible to conceal, it is extremely elusive in the wild: it lives in dense bamboo and would rather run crouched than fly.
From Golden Pheasant
It has been bred in captivity in the West since the 18th century and there are feral populations in the United Kingdom, though always small and in decline.
From Golden Pheasant