All about the Common Pheasant

Photo Credit

Common Pheasant Poem

pheasants are a game bird
hunters walk the fields
with Labrador retrievers
and shotguns safety latched
flushing out the birds
winter game-hunting season

The male takes no part in the nursery
nest often have a dozen eggs in them
incubation takes 23 to 28 days
Disturbing the nest while gardening
early one spring morning, I’m sad to say
the hen discarded her nest for good

Chicks leave the nest, only a few hours old
staying with their mother for serval weeks.
Flying after a couple of weeks of age.
If they are disturbed at close range
they erupt into a vertical flight very low
until they can enter cover bush for shelter

Young males start growing bright feathers,
on their body about ten weeks after hatching
Common pheasants feed on foliage, seed, berries
They love eating my freesia bulbs in the garden,
raiding kitchen vegetable scraps in the compost bin.
Roosting in sheltered red-wood pine trees at night

Photo Credit – Chicks about one hour after hatching