Pheasant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Pheasant (disambiguation).

Pheasants
Pheasant.jpg
Mongolian ringneck-type
common pheasant Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Galliformes
Family:
Phasianidae

Horsfield, 1821
Subfamily:
Phasianinae and Pavoninae

Horsfield, 1821 and Rafinesque, 1815
Genus

Argusianus
Catreus
Chrysolophus
Crossoptilon
Ithaginis
Lophura
Phasianus
Polyplectron
Pucrasia
Rheinardia
Syrmaticus

Pheasants (/ˈfɛzənt/) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Though they can be found world over in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia. The classification "pheasant" is paraphyletic, as birds referred to as pheasants are included within both the subfamilies Phasianinae and Pavoninae, and in many cases are more closely related to smaller phasianids, grouse, and turkey (formerly classified in Perdicinae, Tetraoninae, and Meleagridinae) than to other pheasants.[1]

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

Pheasants eat mostly seeds, grains, roots, and berries, while in the summer they take advantage of insects, fresh green shoots, spiders, earthworms, and snails.

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).

Etymology[]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "pheasant" ultimately comes from Phasis, the ancient name of what is now called the Rioni River in Georgia. It passed from Greek to Latin to French (spelled with an initial "f") then to English, appearing for the first time in English around 1299.[2]

Species in taxonomic order[]

This list is ordered to show presumed relationships between species.

  • Subfamily Phasianinae
    • Tribe Ithaginini
      • Blood pheasant (genus Ithaginis)
        • Blood pheasant (I. cruentus)
    • Tribe Pucrasiini
    • Tribe Phasianini
      • Long-tailed pheasants (genus Syrmaticus)
      • Ruffed pheasants (genus Chrysolophus)
      • Typical pheasants (genus Phasianus)
        • Green pheasant (P. versicolor)
        • Common pheasant (P. colchicus)
          • Caucasus pheasants, Phasianus colchicus colchicus group
          • White-winged pheasants, Phasianus colchicus chrysomelas/principalis group
            • Prince of Wales pheasant, Phasianus colchicus principalis
          • Mongolian ring-necked pheasants or white-winged ring-necked pheasants, Phasianus colchicus mongolicus group
          • Tarim pheasants, Phasianus colchicus tarimensis group
          • Chinese ring-necked pheasants, Phasianus colchicus torquatus group
            • Taiwan pheasant, Phasianus colchicus formosanus
    • Cheer pheasant (genus Catreus)
      • Cheer pheasant (C. wallichi)
    • Gallopheasants (genus Lophura)
      • Kalij pheasant (L. leucomelanos)
        • White-crested kalij pheasant (L. l. hamiltoni)
        • Nepal kalij pheasant (L. l. leucomelanos)
        • Black-backed kalij pheasant (L. l. melanota)
        • Black kalij pheasant (L. l. moffitti)
        • Black-breasted kalij pheasant (L. l. lathami)
        • William's kalij pheasant (L. l. williamsi)
        • Oates' kalij pheasant (L. l. oatesi)
        • Crawfurd's kalij pheasant (L. l. crawfurdi)
        • Lineated kalij pheasant (L. l. lineata)
      • Silver pheasant (L. nycthemera)
      • Imperial pheasant (L. imperialis)
      • Edward's pheasant (L. edwardsi)
      • Vietnamese pheasant (L. hatinhensis)
      • Swinhoe's pheasant (L. swinhoii)
      • Hoogerwerf's pheasant (L. hoogerwerfi)
      • Salvadori's pheasant (L. inornata)
      • Crestless fireback (L. erythrophthalma)
        • Malayan crestless fireback (L. e. erythrophthalma)
        • Bornean crestless fireback (L. e. pyronota)
      • Crested fireback (L. ignita)
        • Lesser Bornean crested fireback (L. i. ignita)
        • Greater Bornean crested fireback (L. i. nobilis)
        • Vieilott's crested fireback (L. i. rufa)
        • Delacour's crested fireback (L. i. macartneyi)
      • Siamese fireback (L. diardi)
      • Bulwer's pheasant (L. bulweri)
    • Eared pheasants (genus Crossoptilon)
  • Subfamily Pavoninae
Pheasant fowling, "Showing how to catch pheasants", facsimile of a miniature in the manuscript of the "Livre du Roy Modus" (fourteenth century).
Cheer pheasant pair in Himalaya, India

Previous classifications[]

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

These old genera were used for:

Vernacular Hume & Marshall Finn: Sporting Birds Finn: Game Birds Contemporary
Vieillot'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)
(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
? G. cuvieri ?
Oates's kalij ? G. oatesi L. leucomelanos oatesi
? G. whiteheadi ?
Swinhoe's kalij ? G. swinhoii L. swinhoii

References[]

  1. ^ Kimball, Rebecca T.; Hosner, Peter A.; Braun, Edward L. (2021-05-01). "A phylogenomic supermatrix of Galliformes (Landfowl) reveals biased branch lengths". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 158: 107091. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107091. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 33545275. S2CID 231963063.
  2. ^ "pheasant". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)

Bibliography[]

  • 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[]

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