The common pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, is a ground-dwelling bird native to Asia and parts of the Caucasus region. It has also been introduced widely in Europe, North America, and other places, where many people know it from farms, fields, and woodland edges.
Male pheasants are famously colorful, with coppery body feathers, a green or blue-green head, red facial skin, and a very long barred tail. Females are much more muted, with brown mottled plumage that hides them well while nesting on the ground.
Common pheasants prefer a mix of cover and open feeding areas. Grasslands, scrub, wetlands, woodland edges, hedgerows, and agricultural fields can all provide food and shelter, especially when there are thick plants nearby for hiding.
They eat a wide variety of foods, including seeds, grain, berries, leaves, shoots, insects, worms, and other small animals. Chicks rely heavily on insects and other protein-rich foods while they are growing.
Females nest in shallow scrapes on the ground, often hidden under dense grass or shrubs. A clutch can contain many eggs, and the chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, following their mother while learning to feed and stay out of danger.