IMPORTANT ORDERING INFORMATION: Pheasants are shipped on Wednesdays, USPS Priority Mail Express, and will typically arrive in 1-2 days at your local post office. Pheasants are not available for pickup and ship for $50.00 per pair.
Elliot's Pheasants, Syrmaticus ellioti, are native to eastern China and can acclimate to all US climates. Its wild population has been slowly declining in recent years due to the destruction of their native habitat. In captivity, these beautiful birds do well in a large, shady aviary setup with plenty of cover for the females. The males of this breed can be aggressive towards the females, so it’s a good idea to provide an abundance of shrubbery or branches to allow the hens to retreat when necessary.
Males have a rich chestnut coloring over the chest, back and upper wings; a gray underbody and neck, with a handsome blue bar across the wing and a checkerboard pattern of light gray and chestnut in the long tail feathers. The females have a brownish-gray body with darker medium brown on the wings and back. The underbody coloring is off-white and the wing feathers are barely tipped in white.
In the wild, Elliot's Pheasants consume a diet of berries, seeds, leaves, grain, and insects. In captivity, you will also want to feed a standard game bird feed, and also supplement with greens and insects.
Breeding season for Elliot's Pheasants is from March through May. One male can be housed with up to three females as long as they have plenty of roosting spots. Females will lay a clutch of 6 to 8 pinkish-white eggs. The incubation period is 25-26 days.
Male Elliot's Pheasants will grow up to 31" in length, females around 20". Elliot's will live to be approximately 12 years old.