تدرج مألوف
- The common pheasant has a bare ring of skin around the eye, unlike other pheasant genera.
- The common pheasant's tail consists of 18 feathers that narrow to a point, forming a wedge-shaped structure.
العمر
The common pheasant’s typical lifespan ranges from 20 years and 3 months to 33 years and 9 months, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 27 years, and a theoretical lifespan between 25 years and 4 months and 32 years and 7 months. The species reaches sexual maturity at an age ranging from 3 months and 3 weeks to 1 year; the eyes of a chick open immediately after birth, and the embryo develops inside an egg. The chick stage, characterized by downy plumage and dependence on the mother, lasts from 1 day to 2 weeks. Following this, the rapid-growth young stage sees the bird flying well and foraging independently for a period between 2 weeks and 1 day and 10 months. The adult stage, during which the pheasant is capable of reproduction, spans from 10 months to 11 years.
نمط ظاهري
The young pheasant has soft yellow-brown down that helps retain heat; after rapid growth, the plumage resembles camouflage and aids in concealment within grass. An adult cock possesses a short, strong beak suitable for gathering seeds and insects, and its head displays green feathers alongside bright red skin around the eyes. The species’ legs are powerful with sharp claws, enabling swift running and digging for food, while a distinct white ring encircles the neck. Brown plumage marked with dark stripes provides camouflage from predators; long, narrow tail feathers are used in courtship displays and for balance during running.
علم وظائف الأعضاء
The body height of the common pheasant reaches 2.02 meters; its body length ranges from 55 centimeters to 2.2 meters, and its mass varies from 0.76 to 1.05 kilograms. The wingspan measures from 64.5 to 71.7 centimeters. During the "embryo" stage, the young have a body mass of 25 to 35 grams and a body length of 4 to 5 centimeters; in the "chick" stage, they weigh 20 to 45 grams and measure 10 to 15 centimeters in length. The "rapidly growing juvenile" stage is characterized by a body mass of 250 grams to 0.85 kilograms and a body length of 35 to 65 centimeters. Adult pheasants have a body mass ranging from 0.8 to 1.3 kilograms and a body length of 55 to 75 centimeters.
الموطن
The common pheasant inhabits terrestrial landscapes including ground forests and lives at altitudes up to 2.5 kilometers. The species occupies temperate mixed forests characterized by warm summers exceeding +25 to +30 degrees Celsius, flooded meadows with abundant grass, and taiga environments featuring cold winters and coniferous trees like spruce and pine. The climate is consistently very wet with almost constant rainfall and high humidity, alongside warm summers and snowy winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, accompanied by a warm and pleasant summer, while winters are cold and characterized by significant snowfall.
مأوى
The common pheasant shelters in dense grass or under bushes; the species builds or uses a nest structure for laying eggs and raising young. The nest is constructed of grass and small twigs.
الجغرافيا
The pheasant is found within the Nearctic and Palearctic biogeographical realms, inhabiting Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, Baltic mixed forests, and European Atlantic mixed forests.
التغذية
The common pheasant is an omnivore; during summer, it consumes many insects and greenery, while in autumn and winter it switches to seeds, grains, and berries. The species forages for food by collecting it with its beak on the ground and in grass and its diet includes seeds, grains, berries, green shoots, insects, worms, young shoots and sprouts, coniferous cones, grain, and plants. The daily food requirement ranges from 70 grams to 150 grams. Young pheasants feed on invertebrates, specifically beetles, butterflies, diptera (two-winged insects), hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps, bees), bedbugs, orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, locusts), dragonflies, mayflies, net-winged insects, scale worms, and amphipods.
تكاثر
The common pheasant’s embryo develops for 3 weeks and 3 days; the female constructs a nest on the ground and lays from 8 to 15 eggs, incubating them alone for 23 to 28 days. The young become independent quickly. During spring, males display by fanning their tails and vocalizing loudly to attract females. The species reaches maturity from 10 months to 1 year, and the reproductive interval is 1 year. A clutch has from 8 to 15 chicks, and the female has from 8 to 15 offspring.