Lewisj Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 So I was shooting on some maize this weekend (as they cut it) and a pure black pheasant flew out and landed a few feet from me. I have never seen a pure black pheasant and a game keeper friend didn't believe me that it existed! He thought it was a chicken .... Which it wasn't. What are these birds called and are they rare? It was genuinely pure black like a crow. Cheers guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 Melanistic Mutant pheasant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewisj Posted September 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 Initially I thought this, but it had no colour on its face? Pure black all over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1985 Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 Hen or cock? Hen wouldn't have colour. Google search images of black pheasants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 melanistic.....havnt seen a pure black one but i have shot a nearly all irridesant green one,,,,,,,,,,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewisj Posted September 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 I don't know if it was a hen or cock, I didn't shoot it. It had the body shape of a cock though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 I don't know if it was a hen or cock, I didn't shoot it. It had the body shape of a cock though. Glad you didn't shoot it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE MEK Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 The Wife likes the films with black cocks in them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistolgrip Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 On my permission there has been an increase in black pheasant for a couple of years bit of a puzzle really as none of the local shoots say they release any, got to the stage where the farmer has asked me to knock them back a bit, did it last season what a bit of fun, four birds come up and maybe only one would be black, so you have to pick your bird carefully, the hens are a very deep chestnut colour, the cocks range from a deep dark chestnut brown to raven black, one shoot had four albino birds that would be allowed to pass over the guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 Lots round me last two years, many times I have put the scope onto them thinking they were crows in the half light of dawn (never shot one) the dog pegged one under the blackthorn in the garden though last winter and it tasted just like the regular colour ones I can attest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 Good old Kent, the taste test haha :-). I took a few minutes to think about it before eating a silkie chicken once... the black skin really was offputting. Was the skin of the pheasant pigmented too or just the feather? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 Good old Kent, the taste test haha :-). I took a few minutes to think about it before eating a silkie chicken once... the black skin really was offputting. Was the skin of the pheasant pigmented too or just the feather? Cant say I noticed, the fat was still yellow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 not sure why keepers buy them in or breed from them.........they are not particuly good fliers.....they tend to be heavier than the "standard" bird.....the best flying birds ive shot at are wild pheasants in Linconlshire flatlands...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 (edited) I released 50 of them maybe 5 years ago, they wander further than a camel in the desert looking for water. Undersides of their feet are yellow !!. Over two years we shot about 25%, in the air its very hard to tell them from a standard cock. I shot a couple then found when I went the dog brought them back they were black. A Edited October 1, 2014 by Alycidon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul T Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 I picked up a few black poults last year from the game dealer and they made very handsome birds. Here's one I had the pleasure of dropping later in the season. Yeah I know he should have a longer tail and better spurs, but the birds weren't really old enough when we got them last year. This years have got super tails already and look much fitter, but it's from a different supplier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezi bez Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi paul hows things around you . Next shoot for me is on 8th nov hope your seasons going well. Hope you dont mind me asking were did you buy poults from this year and how much each . Atvb Aaron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted October 13, 2014 Report Share Posted October 13, 2014 Our game farmer calls them Obscures, a variant of melanistic that originated on the French game farms/ egg producers. Much darker and even coloured than the classic melanistic. Almost crow black with a tinge of purple. A very impressive bird. We reared a hundred from day olds and they did well. Did not think they wandered anymore than the traditional game pheasants, quite large bodied so maybe not the bird if you have flat land yet look for high birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squash wavy Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 I've been fortunate/unfortunate to shoot a pure white oheasant once. Last year in fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphster Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 We had a batch of them on our shoot last season, we had a deal between us guns that if we shot one we would put a set amount of cash in the pot, for a charity that a friend runs. Raised some cash for a good cause and added a bit extra to the shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sienna Posted January 18, 2021 Report Share Posted January 18, 2021 You know, I actually have an all black pheasant in my garden right now! I would attach a photo, but i don't know how. On 30/09/2014 at 14:30, Lewisj said: So I was shooting on some maize this weekend (as they cut it) and a pure black pheasant flew out and landed a few feet from me. I have never seen a pure black pheasant and a game keeper friend didn't believe me that it existed! He thought it was a chicken .... Which it wasn't. What are these birds called and are they rare? It was genuinely pure black like a crow. Cheers guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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