I've been searching for a bone fide wild Golden Pheasant for over 20 years and not yet seen one - until, maybe, last night, on an isolated gravel country road between the Ashburton and Rakaia rivermouths in Mid Canterbury. I always seen Ring-necked Pheasants emerging at dusk (usually one per 20km of road) and I saw 3 last night, but then I came across this "thing" emerging from the base of a hedge. I saw the yellow nape feathers out of the corner of my eye, slowed down from 100km/hr, turned back and it was still there. Here's some pics. Is it a Golden Pheasant imm or just some kind of hyrbid "thing"?
What do ya reckon this is?? Golden Pheasant or other?
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What do ya reckon this is?? Golden Pheasant or other?
Last edited by andrewcrossland on Sun Dec 30, 2018 9:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What do ya reckon this is??
It looks like a rather scruffy male Golden Pheasant to me, although I don’t know if it’ll be tickable for the big year?
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Re: What do ya reckon this is??
Its still obviously the "year-before-the-big-year", but if I see another one during 2019 in a random place like that, in the middle of absolutely nowhere, in an area that's inhabited by a typical Canterbury countryside assemblage of finches, Skylarks, California Quail, Ringed-necked Pheasants, Magpies and Little Owls, and its just fossicking around a hedge at dusk, then thats about as good a Golden Pheasant tick you can get isn't it? I mean, a bird, living rough in the open countryside literally a 100 miles away from the nearest menagerie? A wee bit different to strutting around the carpark at Western Springs with a Guineafowl and Muscovy duck in tow, or perched at the entrance to a long drive way for a pottery shop and bone carving gallery in Mapua?
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Re: What do ya reckon this is?? Golden Pheasant or other?
yes it is a 12mth old last years chick going into adult male plumage for the first time.They always look this way at the xmas moult,saw an amhert`s on xmas day at a friends place and its neck feathers were like prickles not yet unrolled.
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Re: What do ya reckon this is?? Golden Pheasant or other?
Hes not joking when he said searching back roads, look at all those gps logs.
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Re: What do ya reckon this is?? Golden Pheasant or other?
This is 1-year-old male in moult from immature plumage, to adult plumage.