Phasianus

Common pheasant Phasianus colchicus photographed by Lukasz Lukasik.

Belongs within: Phasianidae.

Phasianus is the genus including the common pheasant Phasianus colchicus. This species is native to a wide area across temperate Asia, and has been introduced to many other parts of the world. Phasianus species have long, barred, wedge-shaped tails and bare red skin patches around the eyes. A large number of subspecies of P. colchicus are commonly recognised; those such as the Chinese P. c. torquatus that possess a broad white band around the neck are known as ring-neck pheasants. The green pheasant Phasianus versicolor of Japan is treated by various authors as either a separate species or a subspecies of P. colchicus.

<==Phasianus Linnaeus 1758 CC10
    |--*P. colchicus Linnaeus 1758 CC10
    |    |--P. c. colchicus CC10
    |    |--P. c. alaschanicus RN72
    |    |--P. c. bergii RN72
    |    |--P. c. bianchii RN72
    |    |--P. c. chrysomelas RN72
    |    |--P. c. decollatus RN72
    |    |--P. c. edzinensis RN72
    |    |--P. c. elegans RN72
    |    |--P. c. formosanus L81
    |    |--P. c. hagenbecki RN72
    |    |--P. c. karpowi WBSJ82
    |    |--P. c. kiangsuensis RN72
    |    |--P. c. mongolicus Brandt 1844 R85
    |    |--P. c. pallasi L81
    |    |--P. c. persicus L81
    |    |--P. c. principalis L81
    |    |--P. c. rothschildi RN72
    |    |--P. c. satschuensis L81
    |    |--P. c. septentrionalis RN72
    |    |--P. c. shawii RN72
    |    |--P. c. sohokotensis RN72
    |    |--P. c. strauchi RN72
    |    |--P. c. suehschanensis RN72
    |    |--P. c. takatsukasae RN72
    |    |--P. c. talischensis L81
    |    |--P. c. tarimensis RN72
    |    |--P. c. tenebrosus L81
    |    |--P. c. torquatus Gmelin 1789 CC10
    |    |--P. c. vlangalii RN72
    |    |--P. c. zarudnyi RN72
    |    `--P. c. zerafschanicus RN72
    |--P. alfhildae Shufeldt 1915 [=Elaphrocnemus alfhildae] M02
    |--P. scintillans [=Graphophasianus scintillans] S66
    `--P. versicolor JT12 [=P. colchicus versicolor L81]
         |--P. v. versicolor RN72
         `--P. v. robustipes RN72

Inorganic: Phasianus colchicus minilorientalus Okamura 1987 O87

Nomen nudum: Phasianus nicheti Gaillard in Bastin 1933 M02

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[M02] Mlíkovský, J. 2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World. Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press: Praha.

[O87] Okamura, C. 1987. New facts: Homo and all Vertebrata were born simultaneously in the former Paleozoic in Japan. Original Report of the Okamura Fossil Laboratory 15: 347–573.

[R85] Robertson, C. J. R. (ed.) 1985. Reader’s Digest Complete Book of New Zealand Birds. Reader’s Digest: Sydney.

[RN72] Rutgers, A., & K. A. Norris (eds) 1972. Encyclopaedia of Aviculture vol. 1. London, Blandford Press.

[S66] Sclater, P. L. 1866. Notice of several interesting species of mammals and birds living in the gardens of the Société Zoologique d'Acclimation of Paris. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 210.

[WBSJ82] Wild Bird Society of Japan. 1982. A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan. Kodansha International Ltd.: Tokyo.

Last updated: 14 June 2019.