Common Pheasant

The common pheasant is a long-tailed ground bird with highly variable regional plumage. Males are 60–89 cm long, with a glossy green head, red facial skin and barred brown body; many forms have a white neck ring, though others lack it. Females are smaller at about 50–63 cm and cryptically mottled buff and brown. Both sexes have long pointed tails and burst from cover with loud wingbeats when flushed (Wikipedia, general species account).

Native across temperate Asia and introduced widely elsewhere, it uses grassland, scrub, farmland, wetland margins and open woodland. Birds forage on the ground for seeds, grain, shoots, berries and invertebrates and roost in trees or dense vegetation. The female makes a shallow concealed ground nest and normally lays eight to fifteen eggs, incubating them for about 22–27 days without male assistance. Vietnamese occurrence is at the southern edge of the species' native Asian distribution (Wikipedia, general species account).