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pheasant

 
Dictionary: pheas·ant   (fĕz'ənt) pronunciation
 
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n., pl. pheas·ants or pheasant.
  1. Any of various Old World birds of the family Phasianidae, especially the ring-necked pheasant introduced in North America, characteristically having long tails and, in the males of many species, brilliantly colored plumage.
  2. Any of several other birds that resemble the pheasant, such as the partridge.

[Middle English fesaunt, from Old French fesan, from Latin phāsiānus, from Greek phāsiānos (ornīs), (bird) of the Phasis River, pheasant, from Phāsis, the ancient name for the Rioni River in the Republic of Georgia.]


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Food and Nutrition: pheasant
 
Home > Library > Food & Cooking > Food and Nutrition

Game bird, Phasianus colchicus and related spp. Total weight 1.5 kg; traditionally sold as a brace, i.e. cock and hen, although now commonly available as single birds; usually hung for 3 days (up to 3 weeks in very cold weather) to develop flavour. A 150-g portion is an extremely rich source of iron; a rich source of protein, niacin, and vitamin B2; contains about 15 g of fat of which one-third is saturated, and supplies 330 kcal (1400 kJ).

 
Food Lover's Companion: pheasant
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[FEH-suhnt] A medium-size game bird, originally from Asia but now found in Europe and North America. As with many birds, the male has a more brilliant plumage than the female and is larger, weighing 21⁄2 to 5 pounds compared to the female's 3-pound average. The female's flesh is plumper, juicier and more tender. Very young cocks and hens may be roasted as is but older pheasants should be barded or cooked with moist heat because their flesh is lean and dry. Farm-raised pheasants do not have the same flavor as the wild birds. Pheasants are sometimes found dressed and frozen in specialty meat markets, usually by special order.

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: pheasant
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Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
(click to enlarge)
Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) (credit: H. Reinhard — Bruce Coleman Inc./EB Inc.)
Any of about 50 species of mostly long-tailed birds in the family Phasianidae (order Galliformes), chiefly Asian but naturalized elsewhere. Most species inhabit open woodlands and brushy fields. All have a hoarse call. The feet and lower legs are unfeathered. Females are inconspicuous. Most males are strikingly coloured and have one or more leg spurs, and some have a fleshy facial ornament. Males sometimes fight to the death for a harem of hens. Male ring-necked or common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), 35 in. (90 cm) long, have a streaming tail, coppery breast, purplish green neck, and ear tufts; they are widespread in the northern U.S. Japanese green pheasants (P. versicolor) call in concert when an earthquake is imminent.

For more information on pheasant, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: pheasant
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pheasant, common name for some members of a family (Phasianidae) of henlike birds related to the grouse and including the Old World partridge, the peacock, various domestic and jungle fowls, and the true pheasants (genus Phasianus). Pheasants are characterized by their wattled heads and long tails and by the brilliant plumage and elaborate courtship displays of the male. They are all indigenous to Asia, chiefly India. The English pheasant, introduced from the Black Sea area before 1056, has been interbred with both the Chinese ring-necked and the Japanese pheasants, and the hybrid ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, is established as a common game bird in the N United States. It eats berries, seeds, young shoots, and insects and prefers open country with brush cover. The body of the male ring-necked pheasant is mostly reddish brown, the head and neck an iridescent dark green, the face red, and the neck ringed with white. The protectively colored hen is distinguished from the grouse by her long tail. The closely related ruffed grouse is called pheasant in the central and S United States. Asian pheasants of great beauty are the argus (Argusianus argus), the golden (Chrysolophus pictus), the silver (Gennaeus nycthemerus), and the Lady Amherst (C. amherstiae), all of which inhabit the Himalayas—as do the Reeves pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii), with an 8-ft (2.4-m) tail, the unique tree-dwelling Impeyan pheasant (Tophophorus impejanus), and the tragopan, or horned, pheasant (Tragopan temmincki). Pheasants are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Galliformes, family Phasianidae.

 
Veterinary Dictionary: pheasant
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Gallinaceous birds which are members of the family Phasianidae, which also includes partridge, quail and peafowls. They are ground feeders and tree roosters, with profuse, brightly colored plumage and a long tail and are the best game bird. There very many species, the best known being Phasianus colchicus, the common ringneck pheasant. Others include blue-eared pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum), golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), Reeves pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii), silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera).

 
Wikipedia: Pheasant
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For other uses, see Pheasant (disambiguation).
Pheasants
Elliot's Pheasant
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genera

Ithaginis
Catreus
Rheinartia
Crossoptilon
Lophura
Argusianus
Pucrasia
Syrmaticus
Chrysolophus
Phasianus
† See also partridge, quail

Pheasants are a group of large birds in the order Galliformes.

Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have longer tails. Males play no part in rearing the young. Pheasants typically eat seeds and some insects.

There are 35 species of pheasant in 11 genera. The best-known is the Common Pheasant, which is widespread throughout the world in introduced feral populations and in farm operations. Various other pheasant species are popular in aviaries, such as the Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus).

Species in taxonomic order

This list is ordered to show presumed relationships between species

Pheasant Fowling.--"Showing how to catch Pheasants."--Fac-simile of a Miniature in the Manuscript of the "Livre du Roy Modus" (Fourteenth Century).

References


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Translations: Pheasant
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - fasan

Nederlands (Dutch)
fazant, vlees van een fazant

Français (French)
n. - faisan

Deutsch (German)
n. - Fasan

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ορνιθ.) φασιανός

Italiano (Italian)
fagiano

Português (Portuguese)
n. - faisão (m)

Русский (Russian)
фазан

Español (Spanish)
n. - faisán

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - fasan (zoo.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
雉, 野鸡

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 雉, 野雞

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 꿩

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - キジ, キジの肉

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) التدرج : طائر ذيال شبيه بالحجل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פסיון (עוף)‬

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Best of the Web: pheasant
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American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu
 
 
Shopping: pheasant
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pheasant hunts in michigan
 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pheasant".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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