Reeves's Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii

This species is not on the main British list as the feral population is so small it cannot yet be described as self-sustaining. Their stronghold is in the Norfolk Brecks and the first few photos below come from this population.

click for larger image click for larger image
click for larger image click for larger image

male Reeves's Pheasants, near Hilborough (Norfolk, UK), 8th March 2009

 

The following individuals presumably did not originate from this population, as they were some distance away.

The first was extremely tame and was presumably an escape from captivity:

click for larger image  

female Reeves's Pheasant, Bircham Newton (Norfolk, UK), 7th April 2005

 

Two males of unknown origin, probably escaped but perhaps feral, appeared near Buckenham recently:

click for larger image click for larger image
click for larger image click for larger image
click for larger image  

male Reeves's Pheasant, Buckenham (Norfolk, UK), 20th April 2007

 

Hybrids between Reeves's Pheasants and other species are rarely encountered in the wild. The following bird was in an area where this is a small population of Reeves's Pheasants and when I first saw it I thought it might be a hybrid. It was only in view very briefly and was rather distant but on reviewing my photos I decided that I could see no evidence of abnormality for pure Pheasant other than the excessive white on the head, and concluded that it was simply leucistic. However I'm grateful to Spence for drawing my attention to the fact that hybrids between Pheasants and Reeves's Pheasants do in fact look just like this.

click for larger image click for larger image

male Pheasant x Reeves's Pheasant hybrid, Great Cressingham (Norfolk, UK), 5th March 2011