Photo: Kim MyoungSung / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Game Birds

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) — Gamebirds of Europe & Northern Asia.

Field guide · LocationsWhere to see this bird

Found across 14 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.

Regional checklists

Birds of Australian Capital Territory Birds of New South Wales Birds of Northern Territory Birds of Queensland Birds of South Australia Birds of Tasmania Birds of Victoria Birds of Western Australia Birds of Alberta Birds of British Columbia

By family

Pheasants, Grouse & Allies of Queensland Pheasants, Grouse & Allies of Victoria Pheasants, Grouse & Allies of Alberta Pheasants, Grouse & Allies of British Columbia

See what's near you right now

The Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a member of the Phasianidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 1.1 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

Class Aves
Order Galliformes
Family Phasianidae Pheasants & Allies
Genus Phasianus
Species colchicus

Where it lives

Central, eastern Eurasia, southern China, Taiwan and northern Vietnam

Quick facts

Weight: 1.1 kg
Diet: Omnivores
Family: Phasianidae
Order: Galliformes
Habitat: Urban & human-modified

How to identify

Main colours Brown Green Iridescent Red

Male vs female

Males have a bottle-green head with bare red facial wattles, a white neck ring (present in most subspecies but absent in the nominate colchicus), a coppery-gold and chestnut iridescent body and a very long barred tail; females are uniformly dull mottled brown with a much shorter tail.

Juvenile appearance

Juveniles resemble the drab mottled-brown female with a short tail; young males begin showing bright breast and head feathers within a few weeks.

Similar birds

Vulnerable

Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant

Syrmaticus humiae

Least Concern

Mikado Pheasant

Syrmaticus mikado

Least Concern

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

Chrysolophus amherstiae

Vulnerable

Cheer Pheasant

Catreus wallichii

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Common Pheasant is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.

Behaviour

A bird of farmland, parks and gardens, it forages mainly on the ground.

Migration

The Common Pheasant is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a member of the Phasianidae family, within the order Galliformes. It occurs naturally across Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers PAL, OR c, e Eurasia, s China, Taiwan and n Vietnam.

It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.1 kg, with a wing length of about 23.2 cm and a tail of around 39.3 cm.

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

The species has a mapped global range of roughly 7.4 million km².

Songs & calls

Common Pheasant — Call

Recorded by David Darrell-Lambert Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Common Pheasant?

The Common Pheasant is a very large bird that weighs around 1.1 kg.

Where does the Common Pheasant live?

The Common Pheasant is found across Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering PAL, OR c, e Eurasia, s China, Taiwan and n Vietnam, where it adapts readily to towns, parks and gardens.

What family does the Common Pheasant belong to?

The Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) belongs to the Phasianidae family, in the order Galliformes.

What does the Common Pheasant eat?

The Common Pheasant is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.

Does the Common Pheasant migrate?

The Common Pheasant is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the Common Pheasant endangered?

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

What sound does the Common Pheasant make?

1 real field recording of the Common Pheasant — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the Common Pheasant's range?

The Common Pheasant has a mapped global range of about 7.4 million km².