The Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Chrysolophus Amherstiae, is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. It is a docile bird and can be housed with other bird species. They are predominantly ground dwelling birds that prefer to run than fly. However, if they are startled, they burst upwards at great speed, with a distinctive wing sound. This species is slightly larger than the Golden Pheasant.
As basic as it sounds, pheasants must be fed properly to perform optimally and to be healthy. It is recommended to use PECk-O-MATIC Automatic Pheasant Feeder's 3/8-inch regulator disc to feed crumble or milo. Pellets, cracked corn and wheat can be fed through the 5/8 inch regulator disc.
The male of this species is very colorful. It has an extremely long black and white tail, greenish back, red and yellow rump and black-and-white neck ruff. The female is less colorful, with a duller mottled brown plumage all over with finer barring. She is different from the female golden pheasant in that she has a darker head and cleaner underparts. These birds are very difficult to see in their natural habitat, which is dense, dark forests. It feeds on seeds, berries, roots, leaves, flowers, stems, buds, tubers, and insects.
William Pitt Amherst, Governor General of India, was responsible for sending the first birds to London in the early 1800’s and this pheasant was named after his wife, Sarah, Countess of Amherst. Early Europeans called them “flower pheasants” because they thought they could not be real birds because of their stunning appearance.