Odd Coloured Pheasents

[Synn]

Saw these Pheasents while out on a walk through the fields and woods near college, are they Hybrids (there are quite a few chickens in the next field), or Melanic?

One seems to be normal coloured, then one seems normal, but either missing its neck ring or it's ring is green and another its mostly Purple.

[RKB]

There are several races of Pheasant, and most/all of the ones in Britain are hybrids between these. Some are dark, some almost bottle-green, some have white collars, some don't. So it's normal to see lots of variation. Tens of millions are farm-reared and released each year, vastly outnumbering the wild ones, so there's a constant refreshing of the genetic mix.

[darrenm]

There are a population of very dark bottle green plumaged Pheasants on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire and at a distant almost look black and are well worth checking out if you are passing through the area and can be seen along the road sides most mornings. They also out-number the more traditionally plumaged birds most years in the area. It is also a very good place for viewing Goshawk at this time of the year and Honey Buzzard later on in the year flying over the Estate woodlands.

[Synn]

Ahh, thank you guys
Didn't realise that they were released in such numbers.

[PeteD]

I had an all white/albino pheasant fly across the A34 in front of me recently.

Pete

[tom00_uk]

a all green one from Blacktoft sands a few weeks ago