Pheasant
Pheasants are birds of several genera within the subfamily Phasianinae, of the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Though they can be found world over in introduced populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Asia.
Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly decorated with bright colors and adornments such as wattles. Males are usually larger than females and have longer tails. Males play no part in rearing the young.
Pheasants typically eat seeds and some insects.
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.
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 then to English, appearing for the first time in English around 1299.
Species in taxonomic order
This list is ordered to show presumed relationships between species.- Blood pheasant
- *Blood pheasant
- Koklass
- *Koklass pheasant
- Gallopheasants
- *Kalij pheasant
- **White-crested kalij pheasant
- **Nepal kalij pheasant
- **Black-backed kalij pheasant
- **Black kalij pheasant
- **Black-breasted kalij pheasant
- **William's kalij pheasant
- **Oates' kalij pheasant
- **Crawfurd's kalij pheasant
- **Lineated kalij pheasant
- *Silver pheasant
- *Imperial pheasant
- *Edward's pheasant
- *Vietnamese pheasant
- *Swinhoe's pheasant
- *Hoogerwerf's pheasant
- *Salvadori's pheasant
- *Crestless fireback
- **Malayan crestless fireback
- **Bornean crestless fireback
- *Crested fireback
- **Lesser Bornean crested fireback
- **Greater Bornean crested fireback
- **Vieilott's crested fireback
- **Delacour's crested fireback
- *Siamese fireback
- *Bulwer's pheasant
- Eared pheasants
- *White-eared pheasant
- *Tibetan eared pheasant
- *Brown eared pheasant
- *Blue eared pheasant
- Cheer pheasant
- *Cheer pheasant
- Long-tailed pheasants
- *Reeves's pheasant
- *Elliot's pheasant
- *Mrs. Hume's pheasant
- *Mikado pheasant
- *Copper pheasant
- Typical pheasants
- *Green pheasant
- *Common pheasant
- ** 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
- Ruffed pheasants
- *Golden pheasant
- *Lady Amherst's pheasant
- Peacock-pheasants
- *Bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant
- *Mountain peacock-pheasant
- *Germain's peacock-pheasant
- *Grey peacock-pheasant
- *Malayan peacock-pheasant
- *Bornean peacock-pheasant
- *Palawan peacock-pheasant
- Crested argus
- *Crested argus
- Great argus
- *Great argus
- *Double-banded argus
Previous classifications
Euplocamus and Gennceus are older names more or less corresponding to the current Lophura.- Euplocamus was used, for example, by Hume and Marshall in their Game Birds of India, Burmah and Ceylon.
- Gennceus, was used, for example, by Frank Finn in and .
| Vernacular | Hume & Marshall | Finn: Sporting Birds | Finn: Game Birds | Contemporary |
| Vieillot's crested fireback | E. vielloti | Lophura rufa | 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 | |
| Crawfurd's silver pheasant | E. andersoni | considered a further cross of Anderson's and L. l. lineata | ? | |
| Crawfurd's kalij | ? | G. andersoni | L. leucomelanos crawfurdi | |
| Cuvier's kalij | ? | G. cuvieri | ? | |
| Oates's kalij | ? | G. oatesi | L. leucomelanos oatesi | |
| Whitehead's silver pheasant | ? | G. whiteheadi | ? | |
| Swinhoe's kalij | ? | G. swinhoii | L. swinhoii |