Golden Pheasant Natural History
Size
The length of these birds varies between 90cm and 105cm.
Habitat and Distribution
They are endemic to the mountainous forests of western China. However, when introduced to areas in Europe and the USA small feral populations started to breed. Some of the most successful of these populations are in the UK where they share small ranges with a vast number of native species.
Age
These birds can live for 15-25 years.
Diet
Their diet is made up of leaves, seeds and a mixture of small insects.
Groups and Breeding
These pheasants will lay clutches of 8 to 12 eggs which take around 23 days to incubate.
Threats
Throughout much of its original range it is a fairly common bird which has few threats from human interaction. Its main threat comes from predation, with males in particular having given up safety from predators in the form of camouflage for beauty to impress females.
Interesting Facts
Even though this bird is perfectly able to fly and will use this ability to allow them to roost in trees, they tend to prefer to run instead of flying, even when threatened.
The Golden Pheasants During Your Day Out in Kent
We are home to one Golden Pheasant at Wingham Wildlife Park named Iris. She can be seen in the Tropical House where she can often be spotted near our Vietnam Pheasant.