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Golden Pheasant

Raising Golden Pheasants
Many bird breeders may be surprised to learn that the Golden pheasant, which is one of the best known and easiest pheasants to keep and breed in a backyard aviary, is still not well understood in its natural homeland of China.This is because in nature the pheasants live on mountainous slopes, ledges, and rocky hills, often impenetrably covered with dense scrub bamboo, bushes, and woods. In the minds of many who breed pheasants, the Golden pheasants are unsurpassed in brilliance, beauty, and desirability as a game farm or aviary bird. Golden Pheasants were first brought to Europe at least by the 18th Century, and George Washington was the first American known to have kept and raised the pheasants, which he did at Mt. Vernon. The Chinese have recognized golden pheasants for centuries in art, literature and mythology. Others have claimed that this pheasant is the Phoenix of Greek mythology ("History," Liv. 10 Caput 2. p. 5), which is a bird fabled to have lived for exactly 500 years. The pheasants had a cyclical life, and at the end of each half millennium the pheasants supposedly burned themselves to ashes and then arose in renewed beauty and immortality. Whatever its actual role has been, few people would question that this pheasant is among the most intriguing creatures ever to enliven and beautify the earth. Information on the golden pheasants natural population status and of some other pheasant species in China is virtually non-existent. In the course of my research into what is presently known of golden pheasants in the wild, I spoke with three people who, in recent years, have made separate visits to that part of the pheasants range included in the Sichuan Province of China. They are the following pheasant experts: Keith Howman, international pheasant and game bird authority and WPA President; Pete Squibb of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (noted authority on ringneck pheasant); and David Rimlinger, the well known curator of birds at the San Diego Zoo who has much experience with keeping pheasants at the San Diego Zoo and has observed several pheasant species in China. While Keith and Dave were able to see and record observations of various other pheasants, on the Golden pheasant they report only having heard cocks call from within nearby bamboo thicket or wooded haunts. Said Dave: "I tried to track the Golden pheasant cock that was calling but without success." Like some other Chinese pheasants, the Golden pheasant has been confined in some Chinese zoos and Dave said San Diego Zoo was able to acquire 9 of the pheasants from two or three zoos during the 1980s. He didn't know whether these were captive bred or wild caught pheasants. Pete Squibb confirms how difficult it is to observe this wary and usually well concealed pheasant in this part of China, but in the course of 8 months of field work on the common pheasants in Sichuan Province during the years 1985, 1987, and 1988, he did sight a total of about 12 Golden pheasants and found that the species is hunted by the Chinese for food whenever it is visible. The pheasant has apparently been trapped frequently for its feathers but is only rarely sport hunted as a game bird because of its usually secretive nature and poor flying ability which is shared by some other pheasants as well.. Pete was able to record some new and valuable information on nesting biology of this pheasant along with some other pheasants and game birds. He told me that the stealthy pheasant females, which are known to blend in quite perfectly with their surroundings, were always gone from the nests before humans arrived to inspect or collect eggs. His mission to China was to collect eggs of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus strauchi) in order to establish that species, and perhaps some other pheasants, as game birds for hunting purposes in Michigan which he was successful in doing. About 4500 pheasant eggs were collected and transported to Michigan.However, in the process of collecting common pheasant eggs, local Chinese had discovered a number of Golden pheasants that had nested in dense cover. Pete decided to collect and transport 7 Golden pheasant eggs to Michigan where six hatched, all males. According to him, the pheasants were then distributed to David Calvin of Greeley, Colorado; Eugene Knoder, Elgin, Arizona; and the San Diego Zoo which has a fine record of pheasant propagation. Said he: "They are all banded and Gene Knoder is keeping track of the pheasants as a WPA program." This new pheasant blood that came some years ago directly from the wild has been of significant benefit to the captive gene pool of these pheasant. In his book pheasants: Their Lives And Homes, Country Life, 1936, Beebe speaks of the sharp vision, excellent hearing, and weariness that has helped the Golden pheasant elude would be human observers and predators, more so than perhaps some other game birds. Even so, his persistence and birding acumen enabled him to make the following rare observation of a wild cock pheasant performing its incredible lateral display to a hen in the wild. "The cock pheasant fed quietly for a moment and then ran over to the hen and, circling in front, presented his full broadside of glowing hues, being unique amongst pheasants. I could even see the pheasants back open before his cape shut it from view, although he was too far away for the accompanying hiss to reach me." Again referring to the Golden pheasant neck ruff during courtship Beebe says: 'First to one side, then the other, is displayed this magnificent ornament, obscuring the entire head and beak of the pheasant, and leaving visible only the flowing crest of spun gold and the brilliant eye." He also says of the pheasants cape: "Such a phenomenon in the pheasants baffles all our theories, makes naught of our most concentrated researches into this pheasant. And yet, before the world-wide increase of mankind puts an end to the race of Golden pheasants, we may have solved this and the myriad of other problems whose mystery only adds to their fascination."He also aptly said on this subject: "Fortunately, the display of the Golden Pheasant is something we can study at leisure in our captive birds. There are few more beautiful sights than a pen of these gorgeous pheasants dashing about, often in their eagerness leaping over one another's heads and posturing in their statuesque manner before the hens." As the thousands who keep and breed Golden Pheasants know well, the gorgeous breeding display of the cock is a sudden, laterally positioned act where the body appears flattened with the cape, back, and tail feathers spread to provide the female maximum view of his brilliant color and markings. More than 50 years after Beebe's accounts were published, man does not appear to have markedly harmed the Golden Pheasant's well-being as he predicted, yet the essence of its ecology remains to be unraveled by Chinese or outside researchers. Pheasant expert, Keith Howman, who is regularly in contact with Chinese wildlife scholars and workers, told me the ornithological community may be enlightened by more translated or published information as research into its biology in the- wild progresses. While science temporarily lacks enough information on this pheasant, the enigmatic and unknown only adds to the pheasant's enchantment and popularity among bird breeders and others. Goldens are most closely related to the Lady Amherst Pheasant, and unfortunate it is for their preservation that fully fertile hybrids have been regularly produced in captivity in zoos and some private aviaries over over a period of many decades. Impurity in the adult male Golden Pheasant often shows up as a reddish tinge in the crown, lack of distinct barring in the tail, and larger than non-nal size. When I viewed the wild taken pheasant skins available for research at the American Museum, I noted absence of red in the crest except occasionally on the very tip. Since Amherst cocks have a red crest this often transfers when hybridization occurs with the Golden Pheasant. Not just Amhersts are capable of crossing with Golden Pheasants. Others include: Silver Pheasants, where fertile cocks and sterile hens result; Cheer Pheasant, resulting in sterile hybrids; and various ringneck type pheasants and Reeves where only males appear to have been fertile. Most pheasant preservationists are in agreement that crossing species should never be done as the hybrids invariably become disseminated and the natural and distinct gene pools ruined. Such has occurred to a large extent in the captive Golden Pheasant population. To help deal with the inbreeding and impurity problem in the pheasant, in April 1964 the Gazette Game Bird Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, imported pure Golden Pheasants from China through a dealer in Singapore. Progeny raised from these at the Center were distributed free of charge to interested pheasant breeders. This new pure blood greatly improved the captive population of the pheasants which was evidenced in competitive shows where "Federation Golden Pheasant" stock won "Best Golden classes regularly over a several year period. Of particular note is the Oregon Show where a number of breeders in that area took real interest in trying to multiply and preserve this new pheasant blood-line. Venerable pheasant "old timers" in the Northwest who were active at that time in showing pheasants and preserving the purity of species will recall how Sam Shoop won "Best Golden Pheasant" in the Oregon show with the pure stock for several consecutive years. This stock was acclaimed for its outstanding quality and much sought after and bred by pheasant preservationists. The pheasants were disseminated throughout the country and became the recognized hallmark of top quality Golden Pheasant stock and were offered for sale throughout the classified section of game bird publications for the next 20 years or more. The impact of the Center's pheasant importations was immeasurably beneficial to the preservation of this pheasant and other pheasants that were similarly helped. Mutations of the Golden Pheasant have been developed and are described in the Pheasant Standards book. They include the Yellow Golden Pheasant (shown in picture at left), Dark Throated Golden Pheasant, and Salmon Golden Pheasant. Yellow Goldens are the most beautiful and popular of these pheasant mutations. The December 1999 issue of the Game Bird Gazette magazine features a male Golden Pheasant on the front cover with excellent information from Doug on their breeding and care. Goldens Pheasants are often one of the first acquired by the beginner getting started in the pheasant raising field. Like its cousin the Anherst Pheasant, they are quite disease resistant and hardy in most climates. It does well on a standard pheasant diet which can include mixed grains, greens, and/or manufactured game bird feeds such as Mazuri maintenance crumbles in the off seasons and layer fe&d just before and through the breeding season. Since they are polygynous, compatibility and good production will usually result by having several of the pheasant hens with each male. A fairly spacious aviary is recommended for this pheasant to allow them to chase about as their lively and rangy courtship ritual is happily carried on in spring. In captivity, Golden Pheasant hens generally lay from about 5 - 12 cream colored eggs per clutch that hatch in 22-23 days. Because there are so few really pure Golden Pheasants found in captivity, I believe Golden Pheasants can be considered as challenging and exciting to pheasant breeders as Tragopans, Argus, or any of the other more expensive and rare pheasants. A great contribution to preserving the pheasant can be made by researching blood lines and breeding birds that meet the standard for wild type pheasants. In my opinion, there is no more brilliant, enchanting, and behaviorally exciting pheasant in the world to breed and help preserve. There are Golden Pheasants listed for sale in the classified advertising section of the Game Bird Gazette magazine all year long, and you can get eggs and chicks right now. Adults pheasants are normally shipped by U. S. Postal Service Express Mail and eggs by priority or FedEx is good for eggs as well. Information on purchasing, keeping, breeding, incubating, hatching, brooding, and marketing the Golden Pheasants and many other gorgeous pheasants can be found in the Game Bird Gazette magazine.