Japanese Green

I presently have several Japanese green pheasants or true versicolors, not the green melanistic ringnecks so many incorrectly term Versicolors. I spent hours on the internet inquiring and tracking down breeders that have them, and there ain't many! Kelly McMullen in Louisiana and South Jordan Aviary in Utah had young birds for sale this past fall. I don't know if they still do. Kelly didn't have any hens. They run around 100 a pair.

For those that are interested, it seems Japanese Greens have fallen out of favor over the last 15 years or so, and I think their numbers in this country are on a severe decline. More breeders are needed and possibly some fresh stock imported directly from Japan in the form of live birds or eggs. I don't know how to go about this, and if anyone does, let me know. I would bet with the avian flu scare, it is darn near impossible to get birds into the country, especially from the pacific rim.

Japanese greens are a VERY flighty bird. They are extremely wary of humans and much more wild in nature than even ringnecks. My birds spend 99.9 percent of the day in thick cover that I have in the pen and as soon as they see me they dive into it and hide. Whether or not they will calm down remains to be seen. They do need a large pen with plenty of cover in the form of bushes or cut limbs, xmas trees, or the sort to keep them happy. Otherwise they will fly against the wire or netting in a desperate attempt to escape. I've joked it would be easier to get a melanistic ringneck and spray paint his rump powder blue and call it a versicolor! At least you would get to see and enjoy it!
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Now, I always like a challenge and I'm sure these will give me one. But this spring will be my first attempt at breeding and hatching their eggs. If I'm successful in getting a flock going, I'll offer pairs for sale in the future. But right now I don't know if that will be in a year or even 3. Good luck TV!

Anyone that has any questions concerning Versicolors, PM me!
 
Thanks for the response Turkaholic! I just can't beleive these aren't more popular, I think they are stunning. IMO some of the captive color varieties are interesting but don't really hold a candle to the vivid coloring of the naturally occuring subspecies. It seems pure subspecies specimens are very difficult to find. I'll watch with great interest and hope that you have great luck in your breeding efforts. be sure to keep us all posted. I will definatly be interested if you produce enough that you want to sell some. Try to post some pics if you get the chance.

Does anyone know of anyone breeding pure Afghan Whitewing?

Thanks again
 
TV,
Unfortunately, for the true pheasant species here in the US, hybridization with the Ring neck seems to be an all to common occurrence. The Afgan white wing is another example. There were a few years ago several sources for Afgan white wings, such as Strombergs and Toubl game farm, but they either discontinued the line or began to offer hybrids with Ring necks for shooting purposes. They are always seeming to try and "build" a better bird. Now finding pure true pheasant lines is becoming difficult. A good place to look is on gbwf.org. A lot of pheasant breeders frequent that site.
 
Do you still have those true Japanese green pheasants? Can you post some pictures so that i can see if they are the same bird I'm thinking of? Thanks
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Keep in mind the three races do vary slightly, I have photos from James Pfarr at http://www.gbwf.org /pheasants/green_pheasant.html of robustipes & versicolor as well as the brief Delacour description & notes from Mr. Pfarr. More updates are planned on both of the Phasianus pages when I finish the other section updates. The bird that Turkaholic posted certainly has some differences with the one HIS Paintbrush posted. It should also be noted that many American breeders either are unaware or care about subspecies (see the Silver Pheasant).

Dan
 
When comparing pheasants by photographs, you have to keep in mind the lighting in which the bird was shot. The photo I posted, though not the best, was taken in strong light with contrasting shadows. Birds with irridescent plumage such as pheasants can and will look very different depending on how much light is cast on their plumage. The bird in the other photo looks like it was taken in more overcast conditions. My bird(s) look just like that one when it is cloudy out. The rump appears more blue green rather than powder blue, as it does in strong sun. Apart from the three subspecies, the birds can and do show slight individual variation from one to another. Doesn't mean they aren't pure, the're just showing the individuality within a specie. Not sure exactly what differences your noticing, but they have already been looked at by James Pfarr and his conclusion was that mine were southern.
 

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