White Cock pheasent

Grizzly 45

Saw an oddity today while I was out on the estate.An utterly white plumaged cock pheasant, bar the red patches around the eyes, that normal cocks have. Going by the length of his tail feathers, he was an oldish bird. I have seen very dark pheasants, almost black in one case, but never white.Is it a gene defect in raised and released birds, or is this fellah an escaped show bird?Going by the tail feathers length and unusual colour,[or maybe he was smart enough to go and get some snow cammo from two weeks ago?:D ]I wouldn't think he is a naturally born wild bird?
Thoughts???

richiedel123

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Saw an oddity today while I was out on the estate.An utterly white plumaged cock pheasant, bar the red patches around the eyes, that normal cocks have. Going by the length of his tail feathers, he was an oldish bird. I have seen very dark pheasants, almost black in one case, but never white.Is it a gene defect in raised and released birds, or is this fellah an escaped show bird?Going by the tail feathers length and unusual colour,[or maybe he was smart enough to go and get some snow cammo from two weeks ago?:D ]I wouldn't think he is a naturally born wild bird?
Thoughts???

They are a breed of pheasant people release. Bred loads of them myself. They don't survive well in the wild for obvious reasons. But they are of the same family as your normal ring neck pheasant.I have seen white hens bring out clutches in the wild but they are crossed wit ring necks so only occasionally a pure white chick comes out. Chances are he is a released bird somebody bought recently from some of the dealer's

Bogwoppit

They’re a more domesticated variety of pheasant, just like a white duck or goose. They put less energy into growing pigment and more into body mass.
They are less prone to wandering than regular pheasants so a shoot will stock a few of these that are a bit older than the regular birds in the rearing pens.
The theory is that the younger birds will look at these older bigger birds as like a parent and will be less prone to wandering away from the big lazy white birds and leaving the shooting grounds.
In practice I think they’re just something different for the guns to shoot.

Eddie B

In most of the shoots in the UK, it's frowned upon to shoot a white bird. In fact, on some shoots you get fined if you shoot one.

breakemall

Driven shoots use them as marker birds.

One pheasant or duck looks very much like another but by putting "x" amount of white birds in each release pen the keeper can see where they wander to and so dog them in or move feeders etc. to keep the birds where they need them.

It can be expensive to shoot the white ones alright (the "fine" usually goes to charity), but near the end of the season it becomes less of a sin and is sometimes encouraged even. I have heard of shoots where there is a fine if you do not shoot at the white birds, and an even bigger one if you miss but that would be where they release a lot of white ones or one of the last days of the season.

I managed to bag both a white pheasant and a white mallard at different shoots last season having always resisted before, but on the day these ones flew every bit as good as their coloured brethren, if not indeed better, so I thought it worth the cost.

Also had an interesting snap taken during during the season where the bird and the wad are both in the picture, for that to happen I missed in front with the first shot but the second did the trick...

Grizzly 45

The second picture is excellent.What sort of a camera and speed setting was it to catch the wad and shot in flight?

Eddie B

breakemall wrote: »

Driven shoots use them as marker birds.

One pheasant or duck looks very much like another but by putting "x" amount of white birds in each release pen the keeper can see where they wander to and so dog them in or move feeders etc. to keep the birds where they need them.

It can be expensive to shoot the white ones alright (the "fine" usually goes to charity), but near the end of the season it becomes less of a sin and is sometimes encouraged even. I have heard of shoots where there is a fine if you do not shoot at the white birds, and an even bigger one if you miss but that would be where they release a lot of white ones or one of the last days of the season.

I managed to bag both a white pheasant and a white mallard at different shoots last season having always resisted before, but on the day these ones flew every bit as good as their coloured brethren, if not indeed better, so I thought it worth the cost.

Also had an interesting snap taken during during the season where the bird and the wad are both in the picture, for that to happen I missed in front with the first shot but the second did the trick...

Excellent explanation that, thank you. Didn't realise the whites had a spacific purpose on the shoots.

breakemall

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

The second picture is excellent.What sort of a camera and speed setting was it to catch the wad and shot in flight?

It is a Canon 100D with a Sigma 18-200 lens, the setting is just the standard sports one. My daughter likes to come to the shoots and has gotten some cracking shots with that set up.

breakemall

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

The second picture is excellent.What sort of a camera and speed setting was it to catch the wad and shot in flight?

And slightly off topic, but here is one with my Canon 1000D and a Canon 18-250 lens with the sports setting. This one actually caught the lead shot as well as the wad.

mikeyboo

We released one 3r 4 years ago,he's lasted longer than rest that where released, he's a ideal marker bird as u can track how far they travel,due to the colour