Green Pheasant

The green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor), also known as the Japanese green pheasant or Kiji, is an omnivorous bird native to the Japanese archipelago, to which it is endemic. Some taxonomic authorities consider it a subspecies of the common pheasant, Phasianus colchicus. It is the national bird of Japan. == Taxonomy and systematics == Some sources claim that the green pheasant is a subspecies of the common pheasant, though others claim that they are separate, though closely related, species. The green pheasant has three subspecies. The nominate subspecies, P. v. versicolor, is called the southern green pheasant or kiji. The Pacific green pheasant, P. v. tamensis, and northern green pheasant, P. v. robustipes, are the other two subspecies. There are some cases of hybrids between the green pheasant and the copper pheasant or common pheasant. Interbreeding of between green and common pheasants is the origin of a melanistic variant of common pheasant found in English populations. == Description == The male (cock) southern green pheasant, P. v. versicolor, has dark green plumage on the breast, neck, mantle, and flanks. The male also has a bluish-purplish hood with clear ear tufts, red wattles, and a long, pale grey-banded tail. The female (hen)…