Pheasants are not native to the UK.

Each year about 40 million birds are released for shooting. Just think of the impact that the release and shooting has on the native wildlife. The impacts of this practice on wildlife have been poorly documented, but serious questions have recently been raised about the impact such a large injection of captive-reared birds have on wildlife in the UK.

Common Pheasant

The Common Pheasant or Ring-necked Pheasant – Phasianus colchicus – has been widely introduced as a game birds worldwide.

The adult male has a long brown streaked black tail, with its body plumage barred bright gold and brown, with green, purple and white markings. The head is bottle green with a small crest and distinctive red wattle. The female is a duller bird with a mottled brown plumage all over with a longish tail.