Scientific name: Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758
Bird group: Game birds
Field characters. 53-89 cm. Small-headed game-bird with long tail (length varies considerably). Male with metallic green head and neck and similarly coloured tuft behind eyes, copper-coloured, iridescent upperparts, and rusty brown tail; crescentic markings on breast and flanks, and black bars on tail; usually with white neck ring. Wings paler than body; centre of belly and vent black. Male with bare red area around eye and red wattle below eye. Plumage variable due to introduction of several races. Female is pale brown with black markings above and on flanks; tail shorter; tail bars double, black and chestnut. Juvenile like adult female but duller and with tail still shorter.
Voice. Male produces a loud, sharp di-syllabic crow "korrk-korrk".
Distribution. Introduced into Europe from Caucasus area and China; numbers fluctuate as a result of hunting pressure.
Habitat. Wooded valleys, thickets, cultivated fields, parkland, woodlands, or swampy reedbeds.
Food. Omnivorous feeder, taking grain, seeds, berries, green shoots, roots, arthropods, and molluscs. Obtains food by scratching or digging with legs and beak.