Golden pheasant

Physical features

• Males have a golden-yellow crest with a tinge of red at the tip. Their throat, face, and neck are a tan color. The cape is a light orange. The upper back is green and the lower back and rump are golden-yellow. The breast, flanks, and underparts are scarlet. Tertiary feathers of the wings are blue. Scapular feathers, which cover the shoulders, are dark red. The tail feathers are black spotted with cinnamon, and the tip of the tail is cinnamon.

• Females are brown with dark barring, and have a buff face and throat. The breast and sides are barred buff and blackish brown. The abdomen is a plain buff which varies from hen to hen.

• Both sexes have yellow legs and bill.

• The hen, as in most pheasants, has a much duller coloration than the male.

• They are sexually dimorphic; males and females differ in coloration.

• Males are longerger than females. Males are around 3.5 feet in length, and females are around 2 feet in length.

Diet: Omnivore

• Wild – These birds feed on green plant material, berries, fresh suckers of grasses, buds, grain, seeds, numerous spiders, grubs, earthworms and small vertebrates

• Zoo – Various vegetation and processed bird diet

Reproduction

• Golden Pheasants make their nests in dense undergrowth where it is almost impossible to be seen. 

• Dominant males will mate with as many as 8 females during breeding season.

• Sexual maturity is reached around 1-2 years old.

• Clutch size is 8-12 eggs

• In zoos they begin to lay their eggs in early spring but will lay agin if the first clutch is removed.

• Incubation time is 22-23 days.

• During the mating season the male runs around the female displaying around the female displaying his ruff like a fan.

Interpretive Information

• To the Chinese people, many varieties of birds are considered symbolic. The golden pheasant is associated with royalty, denoting glory, splendor, wealth and rank.

• The Golden has been kept in captivity since as early as 1740 and perhaps was the first type of pheasant brought to North America.

• These pheasants are primarily terrestrial, spending most of their time on the ground, but they are capable of short bursts of flight.

• The shadowed forests they live in protect their vibrant colors from bleaching by the sun.

Updated June 2010