Editing Common pheasant (section)

==Taxonomy and systematics==
[[File:Common Pheasant (Hybride).jpg|thumb|right|Hybrid male in Europe, intermediate between Mongolian ringneck and Caucasus group [[phenotype]]]]
This species was first scientifically described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his landmark 1758 [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']] under its current scientific name. The common pheasant is distinct enough from any other species known to Linnaeus for a laconic ''[Phasianus] rufus, capîte caeruleo'', "a red pheasant with blue head", to serve as entirely sufficient description. The bird had been extensively discussed before Linnaeus established [[binomial nomenclature]] so was already well-known. His sources are the ''Ornithologia'' of [[Ulisse Aldrovandi]],<ref name=Aldrovandi1600/> [[Giovanni Pietro Olina]]'s ''Uccelliera'',<ref name=Olina1622/> [[John Ray]]'s ''Synopsis methodica Avium & Piscium'',<ref name=Ray1713/> and ''A Natural History of the Birds'' by [[Eleazar Albin]].<ref name=Albin1731/> Therein—essentially the bulk of the [[ornithology]] textbooks of his day—the species is simply named "the pheasant" in the books' respective languages. Whereas in most other species, Linnaeus felt it warranted to cite plumage details from his sources, in the common pheasant's case he simply referred to the reason of the bird's fame: ''principum mensis dicatur''.{{Verify source|date=March 2009}}<!-- translate please - "it is called the foremost dish", "it is called the Prince of the Table"? --> The [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] is given simply as "Africa, Asia".<ref name=linne/>

However, the bird does not occur in Africa, except perhaps in Linnaeus's time in [[Mediterranean]] coastal areas where they might have been introduced during the [[Roman Empire]]. The type locality was later fixed to the [[Rioni River]] in western [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], known as ''Phasis'' to the [[Ancient Greek]]s. These birds, until the [[modern era]], constituted the bulk of the introduced stock in parts of Europe that was not already present; the birds described by Linnaeus's sources, though typically belonging to such early introductions, would certainly have more [[allele]]s in common with the [[transcaucasia]]n population than with others. The [[scientific name]] is [[Latin]] for "pheasant from [[Colchis]]", ''colchicus'' referring to the west of modern-day [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]];<ref name=URB2007/> the Ancient Greek term corresponding to the English "pheasant" is '''''Phasianos ornis''''' (Φασιανὸς ὂρνις), "bird of the river Phasis".<ref name=OED/> Although Linnaeus included many [[Galliformes]] in his [[genus]] ''Phasianius'' such as the [[domestic chicken]] and its wild ancestor the [[red junglefowl]], nowadays ''Gallus gallus'', today only the common and the green pheasant are placed in this genus. As the latter was not known to Linnaeus in 1758, the common pheasant is treated as the [[type species]] of ''Phasianus''.

In the US, common pheasants are widely known as "ring-necked pheasants". One North American writer called them '''"chinks"''' or, in [[Montana]], '''"phezzens"'''.<ref name=Proper1990/> In China, meanwhile, the species is properly called '''''zhi ji''''' ([[:zh:雉鸡|雉鸡]]), "pheasant-fowl", essentially implying the same as the English name "common pheasant". As elsewhere, ''P.&nbsp;colchicus'' is such a familiar bird in China that it is usually just referred to as '''''shan ji''''' (山雞), "mountain chicken",<ref name=Lin-Liu2006/> a Chinese term for [[pheasant]]s in general.

As of 2005, it had the smallest known [[genome]] of all living [[amniote]]s, only 0.97 pg (970 million [[base pair]]s), roughly one-third of the human genome's size; however, the [[black-chinned hummingbird]] is the current holder of the smallest known amniote genome.<ref name=Gregory2005/>

===Subspecies===
[[File:Male and female pheasant.jpg|thumb|right|Chinese ringneck-type male (note grey rump) with very pale female, illustrating the dramatic difference in both colour and size between sexes as per [[sexual dimorphism]]]]
There are about 30 [[subspecies]] in five<ref name=Madge2002/> to eight<ref name=Schweizer19/> groups. These can be identified by the male plumage, namely presence or absence of a white neck-ring and/or a white [[Supercilium|superciliary stripe]], the colour of the uppertail (rump) and wing [[covert (feather)|covert]]s, and the colour of crown, chest, upper back, and flank feathers. As noted above, introduced populations have mixed the [[allele]]s of various races by various amounts, differing according to the original stock used for introductions and what [[natural selection]] according to [[climate]] and [[habitat]] has made of that.

An investigation into the genetic relationships of subspecies suggested that the common pheasant originated from the forests of southeastern China.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Effect of geological vicariance on mitochondrial DNA differentiation in Common Pheasant populations of the Loess Plateau and eastern China|year=2010 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2009.12.026 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790310000023|access-date=28 December 2020|last1=Liu |first1=Ying |last2=Zhan |first2=Xiangjiang |last3=Wang |first3=Ning |last4=Chang |first4=Jiang |last5=Zhang |first5=Zhengwang |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=409–417 |pmid=20060052 |bibcode=2010MolPE..55..409L }}</ref> Initial divergence is thought to have occurred around 3.4 Mya. The lack of agreement between morphology-based subspecies delimitation and their genetic relationships is thought to be attributed to past isolation followed by more recent population mixing as the pheasant has expanded its range across the Palaearctic.<ref name=Sokos2014/>

Sometimes this species is split into the [[Central Asia]]n common and the [[East Asia]]n ring-necked pheasants, roughly separated by the [[arid]] and high [[mountain]]ous regions of [[Turkestan]]. However, while the western and eastern populations probably were entirely separate during the [[last glacial period|Zyryanka glaciation]] when deserts were more extensive,<ref name=Ray2001/> this separation was not long enough for actual [[speciation]] to occur. Today, the largest variety of colour patterns is found where the western and eastern populations mix, as is to be expected. Females usually cannot be identified even to subspecies group with certainty.

Many subspecies are in danger of disappearing due to hybridisation with introduced birds. The last black-necked pheasant (''P.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;colchicus'') population in Europe survives in Greece in the delta of the river [[Nestos (river)|Nestos]], where in 2012 the population was estimated 100–250 individuals.<ref name=Sokos2014/>

The subspecies groups,<ref name=Schweizer19/> going from west to east, and some notable subspecies are:
{| class="wikitable sortable" align="left" style="margin: 10px;"
|-
! Subspecies !! Range !! Description !! Image
|-
| WESTERN CLADE – <br />Red-rumped pheasants: || || The lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are of a bronze-red, maroon, or rusty-orange general colour, sometimes glossed with oily green; black bars on the tail generally narrow.
||
|-
| ''P. c. colchicus'' group – <br />Black-necked pheasants:<br /> ''P. c. colchicus, P. c. septentrionalis, P. c. talischensis, P. c. persicus'' ||[[Caucasus]] to W. [[Turkestan]]; early (Roman or pre-Roman) introduced into [[Turkey]] (Samsun area)<ref name=Kumerloeve1976/> and [[Greece]] (Nestos delta)<ref name=Sokos2014/> ||No neck ring. Wing coverts [[buff (colour)|buff]] to brown (in ''P. c. persicus'' greyish white or buffy white), uppertail coverts [[rust (colour)|rust]]y to [[chestnut (colour)|chestnut]] || [[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052517376).jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. chrysomelas / P. c. principalis'' group – <br />White-winged pheasants:<br /> ''P. c. principalis, P. c. zarudnyi, P. c. zerafschanicus, P. c. bianchii, P. c. chrysomelas, P. c. shawii'' ||Central [[Turkestan]] and western [[Tarim Basin]]||No or vestigial neck ring. Wing coverts whitish, uppertail coverts and general plumage hue [[bronze]] to brown ||[[File:Prince of Wales's Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:BirdsAsiaJohnGoVIIGoul 0152.jpg|100px]]<br />[[File:BirdsAsiaJohnGoVIIGoul 0148.jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. mongolicus'' group – <br />Kyrghyz pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. turcestanicus, P. c. mongolicus'' ||NE [[Turkestan]] and adjacent [[Xinjiang]]. Note that, despite its name, ''P. c. mongolicus'' does not occur in Mongolia.||Broad neck ring. Wing coverts white, uppertail coverts hue rusty to chestnut, general plumage hue [[copper (colour)|copper]] ||[[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052488785).jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. tarimensis'' group – <br />Tarim pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. tarimensis''||SE [[Turkestan]] around the eastern [[Tarim Basin]]||No or vestigial neck ring. Wing coverts buff to brown, uppertail coverts dark [[khaki (color)|khaki]] to light [[olive (colour)|olive]] || [[File:Tarim Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|-
| EASTERN CLADE – <br />Grey-rumped pheasants: || || The lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are of a light and more or less lavender-blue, greenish- or yellowish-grey, or olive-greenish colour; a rusty orange patch on each side of the rump; black tail-bars generally broad. ||
|-
| ''P. c. elegans'' group – <br />Yunnan pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. elegans, P. c. rothschildi'' ||Eastern [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]], western [[Sichuan]], northwestern and southeastern [[Yunnan]], northwestern [[Vietnam]] and northern [[Myanmar]].|| White neck collar and orbital lines are absent. A broad band of richly glossed dark green or bluish green colour runs down the underparts, completely separating the brassy-chestnut of the sides of the chest. Crown dark green. Uppertail coverts light bluish grey. ||
|-
| ''P. c. strauchi / P. c. vlangalii'' group – <br />Western grey-rumped pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. suehschanensis, P. c. vlangalii, P. c. satscheuensis, P. c. edzinensis, P. c. strauchi, P. c. sohokhotensis, P. c. alaschanicus, P. c. kiangsuensis'' ||[[Qaidam Basin]], eastern [[Qinghai]], northeastern [[Sichuan]], [[Inner Mongolia]], [[Gansu]], [[Ningxia]], [[Shanxi]], [[Shaanxi]], western [[Hebei]]. Note that, despite its name, ''P. c. kiangsuensis'' does not occur in [[Jiangsu]].|| The white neck collar and orbital lines are usually either absent (''P. c. suehschanensis'') or rather narrow, often not complete. Brassy-chestnut on chest dominating over glossy green colour (which only in ''P. c. suehschanensis'' reaches from foreneck to the belly). Crown usually dark green. ||[[File:Strauch's Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. torquatus'' group – <br />Chinese ring-necked pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. hagenbecki, P. c. pallasi, P. c. karpowi, P. c. torquatus, P. c. takatsukasae, P. c. decollatus'' ||Widespread in eastern China, extending to northernmost [[Vietnam]] in the south and to the [[Strait of Tartary]] region in the north; with an isolated population in north-western Mongolia. Absent from [[Hainan]]. Most pheasants introduced in North America are of this group. ||White neck ring varies from broad in the north east (''P. c. pallasi'') to absent in the south west (''P. c. decollatus''). Wing coverts [[tan (color)|tan]] to light grey (almost white in some). Chest copper red to light brown red, in ''P. c. decollatus'' rich purple red with thick black feather margins. Crown varying from dark green without orbital lines (''P. c. decollatus'') to light grey framed with white orbital lines. In ''P. c. hagenbecki'' chest feathers broadly fringed black.||[[File:Kobdo Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:Manchurian Ring-necked Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:Eastern Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]<br />[[File:Kweichow Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. formosanus'' group – <br />Taiwan pheasants: <br /> ''P. c. formosanus'' ||[[Taiwan]] || White neck ring interrupted at front neck. Flank feathers characteristically whitish or pure white with black apices and often narrow black margins. Feathers at chest broadly fringed black, giving a scaly appearance. || [[File:Formosan Ring-necked Pheasant by H. Jones.png|100px]]
|- 
| Subspecies:<ref>{{Citation |last1=Giudice |first1=John H. |title=Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) |date=2022-10-25 |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/rinphe1/1.1/introduction |work=Birds of the World |editor-last=Billerman |editor-first=Shawn M. |access-date=2023-07-16 |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |language=en |doi=10.2173/bow.rinphe1.01.1 |last2=Ratti |first2=John T. |last3=Mlodinow |first3=Steven G. |editor2-last=Keeney |editor2-first=Brooke K. |editor3-last=Rodewald |editor3-first=Paul G. |editor4-last=Schulenberg |editor4-first=Thomas S.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Miller |first=Alden H. |date=January 1952 |title=The Pheasants of the World Jean Delacour J. C. Harrison |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1364534 |journal=The Condor |volume=54 |issue=1 |pages=70–71 |doi=10.2307/1364534 |jstor=1364534 |issn=0010-5422|url-access=subscription }}</ref>|| || || 
|-
| ''P. c. pallasi''<br />(Manchurian ring-necked pheasant) ||Southeastern Siberia ([[Primorsky Krai|Ussuriland]], southern [[Russian Manchuria (Russia)|Amurland]]), adjacent northeastern [[North Korea]] (alpine region) to northeastern China (east and south slopes of [[Greater Khingan]] Mountains and [[Lesser Khingan]] Mountains)|| Plumage dominated by yellow and copper brown tones. Greyish green crown, framed by white orbital lines. White collar very wide and uninterrupted, often broader at the front. || [[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052458474).jpg|100px]]
|-
| ''P. c. karpowi''<br />(Korean ring-necked pheasant) ||Northeastern China (southern [[Heilongjiang]], [[Jilin]], northern [[Liaoning]], northern [[Hebei]]) and central and southern [[Korea]] and [[Jeju Island]] in South Korea. Introduced on [[Hokkaido]], Japan.<ref name=Bohl1964/>|| Darker and more richly coloured than ''P.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;pallasi'', and white collar narrower. || |[[File:Korea Spring NMK 01 (13281396764).jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. elgans'' (Stone's pheasant)
|Eastern Tibet, Western Sichuan, and Northwestern Yunnan provinces, 1,500–3,000&nbsp;m preferred elevation.
|Overall plumage dark and contrasting, but check to distinguish this subspecies from ''P. c. suehschanensis'' which has some range overlap. Scaplulars are scarcely spotted when compared to those of ''P. c. suehschanensis.''
|
|-
|''P. c. decollatus'' (Kweichow)
|Central China ( Eastern Szechuan, Western Hubei, Northeastern Yunnan and Guizhou).
|Appears like ''P. c. torquatus'' but with no collar
|
|-
|''P. c. takatsukasae'' (Tonkinese)
|Southeastern China and Tonkin
|Poorly known, best identified by range. Supposedly similar to ''P. c. torquatus'' but overall darker.  
|
|-
|''P. c. rothschildi'' (Rothschild's)
|Yunnan, Tonkin, northern Laos and eastern Myanmar. Prefers elevations of 1,500 to 3,000&nbsp;m
|Similar to ''P. c. elegans'' but lighter. Best identified by range
|
|-
|''P. c. torquatus'' (Chinese)
|Eastern China
|
|
|-
|''P. c. formosanus'' (Taiwanese)
|Taiwan
|Black belly and pale sides. Range is also diagnostic.
|[[File:DSC03160 花東海岸山脈的環頸雉555593997.jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. alaschanicus'' (Alashan)
|North Central China, Southern Mongolia. "Oases near the western foothills of Ala-Shans".
|Poorly known, best identified by range.
|
|-
|''P. c. hagenbecki'' (Kobdo)
|Kobdo Valley, Mongolia, prefers elevations of 1,000 to 1,500&nbsp;m
|Distinctive bright golden flanks as well as small range are diagnostic.
|
|-
|''P. c. kiangsuensis'' (Shansi)
|Northeastern China
|Extremely similar ''P. c. torquatus'', range overlaps, but ''P. c. kiangsuensis'' skews further north. The barring on the nape in finer in ''P. c. kiangsuensis'' than in ''P. c. torquatus.''
|
|-
|''P. c. satscheuensis'' (Satchu)
|Northwestern Gansu
|Best identified by range 
|
|-
|''P. c. strauchi'' (Strauch's)
|Central China, Gansu south to Szechuan. Prefers altitudes near 3,000&nbsp;m
|Extremely variable, best identified by range and elimination of other subspecies. 
|
|-
|''P. c. suehschanensis'' (Sungpan) 
|Northwest Szechuan and Eastern Tibet
|Similar to elegans
|
|-
|''P. c. vlangallii''
|Quinghai, prefers elevations of 600 to 2,100&nbsp;m
|Best identified by range
|
|-
|''P. c. edzinensis''
|Ruo Shui basin
|Similar plumage to ''P. c. satscheuensis,'' best identified by range.
|
|-
|''P. c. sohokhotensis'' (Sohokhoto)
|Sohokhoto Oasis
|Resembles ''P. c. strauchi'' but paler with "eyebrows" and a collar.
|
|-
|''P. c. tarimensis'' (Tarim basin)
|Southeastern Tarim Basin
|Olive-green rump
|
|-
|''P. c. mongolicus'' (Mongolian/Kirghiz)
|Northern Kyrgyzstan, Eastern Kazakhstan, Xinjiang and Urumchi.
|Widespread in its range. Darkly plumaged with contrasting white wing coverts.
|
|-
|''P. c turcestanicus'' (Syr-Darya)
|Syr Darya river valley
|Small range, darkly plumaged with contrasting white wing coverts, slightly brighter sides than ''P. c. mongolicus''. 
|
|-
|''P. c. bianchii''
|Southern Uzbekistan, southwestern Tajikistan and extreme northern Afghanistan
|Bright white wing coverts, also use range.
|
|-
|''P. c. principalis'' (Prince of Wales)
|Southeastern Turkmenistan, extreme northern Iran and Afghanistan
|Rare, identification information poorly known other than range, look for the contrasting green and purple-maroon throat.
|
|-
|''P. c. shawii'' (Yarkland)
|Xinjiang
|Bright white wing coverts 
|
|-
|''P. c. zerafschanicus'' (Zerafshan)
|Bukhara, Zeravshan and Kashkadarya Valleys of Southern Uzbekistan.
|Best identified by range
|
|-
|''P. c. zarudnyi'' (Zarundy's)
|Central valleys of the river Amu Darya on the eastern Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan border.
|Best identified by range and glossy-green throat.
|
|-
|''P. c. colchicus'' (Caucasian)
|Northeasternmost Turkey to eastern Georgia, eastern Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Armenia and northwestern Iran.
|The most widespread of the "black-necked pheasants". Commonly released as a gamebird. Possibly the ancestral population of the "old English pheasant"
|[[File:A monograph of the pheasants (10052517376).jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. septentrionalis'' (Northern Caucasian)
|Dagestan to north of the Volga Delta 
|Large,  white spots on the back. Golden-orange nape that contrasts against the dark rump.
|[[File:Fagiano 1.jpg|100px]]
|-
|''P. c. talischensis'' (Talisch)
|Transcaucasia and Caspian lowlands of Iran
|Fine, even white spots on the back, overall warm orange plumage, little contrast of wing plumage. Range important for identification.
|
|-
|''P. c. persicus'' (Persian)
|Southwest Turkmenistan and northcentral Iran
|Overall warm orange plumage, wing plumage bright white and contrasting.
|
|}
Within a maximum clade credibility mDNA gene tree, the most basal group is the ''P. c. elegans''-group of the Eastern Clade, diverging from the [[green pheasant]] during the [[Calabrian (stage)|Calabrian]], and diversifying in [[Chibanian|Middle Pleistocene]] around 0.7 million years ago, with the groups of the Western Clade splitting off from those of the Eastern Clade about 0.59 million years ago.<ref name=Schweizer19/> While the subspecies of the Western Clade are well geographically separated from each other, the subspecies of the Eastern Clade often show [[Cline (biology)|clinal]] variation and large areas of [[intergradation]]. For example, clines connect ''P. c. pallasi-karpowi-torquatus-takatsukasae'' within the ''P. c. torquatus'' group and ''P. c. kiangsuensis-alaschanicus-sohokhotensis-strauchi'' within the ''P. c. strauchi-vlangalii'' group, with the degree of expression of white collar and [[Supercilium|superciliary stripe]] in both cases decreasing from north to south. The isolated form ''P. c. hagenbecki'' is very close to ''P. c. pallasi'' in phenotype, and has been traditionally treated within the ''P. c. torquatus'' group until recently, when it was assigned in one study to the ''P. c. strauchi / P. c. vlangalii'' group.<ref name=Schweizer19/> However, the origin of the corresponding feather samples as listed in GenBank<ref name=Hagenbecki/> is far away from the known distribution of subspecies ''P. c. hagenbecki'', and the issue needs further clarification.
{{clear}}