Pheasant by the Bóbr River

Pheasant by the Bóbr River surprised and delighted a reader. This colorful bird among the gray grasses makes an extraordinary impression.

The male pheasant has a glossy green head, a white collar around its neck and a rusty-brown body with a scaled pattern. In spring, its red wattles and red patches on the sides of its head become swollen. The species originates from eastern Asia and was brought to Europe as early as Roman times. In our avifauna, it is a non-native species introduced in the 16th century. Its population is continually sustained by birds released for hunting purposes. It inhabits cultivated fields, meadows and fallow land with clumps of shrubs. It builds its nest on the ground. Between May and June, it lays 8–15 eggs, which are incubated exclusively by the female for 23–28 days. It is a precocial species: the chicks hatch covered in down and are immediately ready to leave the nest. It produces one brood per year. It is a sedentary species. Diet: seeds, fruit, roots and, in spring, insects as well. The population in Poland is estimated at 150,000–200,000 pairs. It is a game species. The hunting season for males runs from October 1 to the end of February; hens may be hunted only in game-breeding centers where pheasants are raised in aviaries, from October 1 to January 31.

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