Pheasant

Pheasants
File:Pheasant.jpg
Mongolian Ringneck-type Common Pheasant cock
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Superorder:	Galloanserae
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae
Subfamily:	Phasianinae
Tribe:	Phasianini Horsfield, 1821
Genus
Perdix Syrmaticus Phasianus Chrysolophus Catreus Crossoptilon Lophura

For other species of pheasants, see Phasianidae.

Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae (Horsfield, 1821) subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.

Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have longer tails. Males play no part in rearing the young. Pheasants typically eat seeds and some insects.

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 (Chrysolophus pictus).

Species in taxonomic order

This list is ordered to show presumed relationships between species

Genus Perdix

• Tibetan Partridge, Perdix hodgsoniae
• Grey Partridge, Perdix perdix
• Daurian Partridge, Perdix dauurica

Genus Syrmaticus, Long-tailed Pheasants

• Reeve's Pheasant, Syrmaticus reevesi
• Elliot's Pheasant, Syrmaticus ellioti
• Mrs. Hume's Pheasant, Syrmaticus humiae
• Mikado Pheasant, Syrmaticus mikado
• Copper Pheasant, Syrmaticus soemmerringi

Genus Phasianus, Typical Pheasants

• Green Pheasant Phasianus versicolor
• Common Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus

Genus Chrysolophus, Ruffed Pheasants

• Golden Pheasant, Chrysolophus pictus
• Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Chrysolophus amherstiae

Genus Catreus

• Cheer Pheasant, Catreus wallichii

Genus Crossoptilon, Eared Pheasants

• White-eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon crossoptilon
• Tibetan Eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon harmani
• Brown Eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon mantchuricum
• Blue Eared Pheasant, Crossoptilon auritum

Genus Lophura, Gallopheasants

• Siamese Fireback, Lophura diardi
• Crested Fireback, Lophura ignita
• Crestless Fireback, Lophura erythrophthalma
• Hoogerwerf's Pheasant, Lophura hoogerwerfi
• Salvadori's Pheasant, Lophura inornata
• Bulwer's Pheasant, Lophura bulweri
• Kalij Pheasant, Lophura leucomelanos
• Silver Pheasant, Lophura nycthemera
• Swinhoe's Pheasant, Lophura swinhoii
• Edward's Pheasant, Lophura edwardsi

File:Pheasant Fowling Showing how to catch Pheasants Fac simile of a Miniature in the Manuscript of the Livre du Roy Modus Fourteenth Century.png

Pheasant Fowling.--"Showing how to catch Pheasants."--Fac-simile of a Miniature in the Manuscript of the "Livre du Roy Modus" (Fourteenth Century).

File:Cheer Pheasant.png

Cheer Pheasant pair in Himalaya, India

Previous classifications

Euplocamus and Gennceus are older names more or less corresponding to the current Lophura.

• Euplocamus was used, for example, by Hume and Marshall's in their Game Birds of India, Burmah and Ceylon (1879–1881).
• Gennceus, was used, for example, by Frank Finn in Indian Sporting Birds (1915) and Game Birds of India and Asia (1911?).

These old genera were used for:

Vernacular	Hume & Marshall	Finn: Sporting Birds	Finn: Game Birds	Contemporary
Vieilott's Crested Fireback	E. vielloti	Lophura rufa (sic)		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 (invalid)
Crawfurd's Silver Pheasant (or Crawford's? )	E. andersoni	considered a further cross of Anderson's and L. l. lineata		?
Crawfurd's Kalij (same as C.'s Silver Pheasant?)	?		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

References

• Beebe, William. 1918-22. A Monograph of the Pheasants. 1st edition in 4 volumes: H. F. Witherby, London. Reprint: 1990, Dover Publications.(4 volumes bound as 2). ISBN 0-486-26579-X and ISBN 0-486-26580-3. Republished as: Pheasants: Their Lives and Homes. 2 vols. 1926. Single volume edition: New York Zoological Society, 1936.)
• Green-Armytage, Stephen. 2002. Extraordinary Pheasants.Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York. Book ISBN 0-8109-1007-1.
• Madge and McGowan, Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse ISBN 0-7136-3966-0

External links

• Videos of pheasants in the Internet Bird Collection

This article is part of Project Bird Taxonomy, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every order, family and other taxonomic rank related to birds.

This article is part of Project Bird Subfamilies, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each bird subfamily, including made-up families.