﻿PERSIAN 
  PHEASANT 
  

  

  Phasianus 
  colchicus 
  persicus 
  Sewertzow 
  

  

  Names. 
  — 
  Subspecific 
  : 
  persicus, 
  Latin, 
  persicus, 
  Persian. 
  English 
  : 
  Persian 
  Pheasant. 
  

  

  TYPE. 
  — 
  Locality 
  : 
  Southern 
  shore 
  of 
  Caspian 
  Sea. 
  Describer 
  : 
  Sewertzow. 
  Place 
  of 
  Description 
  : 
  Bull. 
  

   Soc. 
  Nat. 
  Mosc. 
  XLVIII. 
  1874 
  (but 
  published 
  in 
  1875), 
  p. 
  208. 
  

  

  Subspecific 
  Characters. 
  — 
  Male 
  : 
  Differs 
  from 
  the 
  Caucasian 
  Pheasants 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  lesser 
  and 
  median 
  

   wing-coverts 
  buffy 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  back, 
  flanks 
  and 
  breast 
  have 
  a 
  much 
  stronger 
  golden-yellow 
  ground 
  colour 
  ; 
  the 
  

   abdomen 
  is 
  edged 
  with 
  purplish 
  red 
  ; 
  the 
  breast 
  feathers 
  are 
  somewhat 
  pointed, 
  and 
  deeply 
  emarginate, 
  while 
  the 
  

   black 
  margin 
  is 
  very 
  narrow, 
  not 
  wider 
  than 
  half 
  a 
  millimetre. 
  

  

  GEOGRAPHICAL 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  

  

  North-eastern 
  Persia 
  and 
  South-western 
  Transcaspia, 
  including 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  

   the 
  Atrek 
  and 
  Gurgen 
  Rivers, 
  and 
  their 
  tributaries, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Tchirin-tchai, 
  Kizzl-kan, 
  

   Sumbar, 
  Chandyr, 
  middle 
  Atrek 
  and 
  Kara-su. 
  It 
  extends 
  along 
  the 
  Caspian 
  coast 
  from 
  

   the 
  left 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  Atrek 
  to 
  the 
  Ashur-ada 
  Island 
  and 
  Potemkin 
  Peninsula. 
  It 
  

   probably 
  does 
  not 
  quite 
  meet 
  colchicus 
  talischensis 
  in 
  Mazanderan. 
  To 
  the 
  south 
  it 
  is 
  

   bounded 
  by 
  the 
  Elburz 
  Mountains 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  the 
  lower 
  Atrek 
  and 
  the 
  Kopet-dah 
  

   Mountains 
  form 
  a 
  natural 
  boundary, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  extend 
  beyond 
  Darah-gaz, 
  

   Kalat-i-Nadir 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  mountains 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  watershed 
  between 
  the 
  valleys 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atrek 
  and 
  the 
  Heri-rud. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  In 
  geographical 
  position, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  plumage 
  characters, 
  the 
  Persian 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  

   intermediate 
  between 
  the 
  dark-winged, 
  brownish-bellied 
  Caucasian 
  Pheasants 
  and 
  the 
  

   white-winged, 
  maroon-rufous-bellied 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  principalis 
  group. 
  It 
  overruns 
  what 
  

   well 
  might 
  be 
  mountainous 
  barriers 
  to 
  most 
  avian 
  species, 
  and 
  shows 
  occasional 
  hints 
  of 
  

   interbreeding. 
  

  

  The 
  Tchirin-tchai 
  and 
  the 
  Kizzl-kan 
  are 
  two 
  northern 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Atrek 
  along 
  

   which 
  the 
  Persian 
  Pheasant 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  numbers. 
  The 
  sources 
  of 
  these 
  rivers 
  lie 
  in 
  

   vast 
  plains 
  covered 
  with 
  reeds, 
  which 
  are 
  inhabited 
  by 
  troops 
  of 
  wild 
  boars 
  and 
  covies 
  

   of 
  pheasants. 
  The 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  free 
  of 
  reeds 
  have 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  steppes 
  and 
  

   are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  character 
  as 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  mountains. 
  Here 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  bustards 
  are 
  found. 
  Along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  the 
  vegetation 
  forms 
  a 
  

   zone 
  of 
  dense 
  growth. 
  It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  necessary 
  to 
  travel 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  before 
  

   being 
  able 
  to 
  penetrate 
  to 
  the 
  water. 
  Here 
  the 
  berries 
  of 
  the 
  junipers 
  ripen 
  in 
  late 
  July 
  

   and 
  early 
  August, 
  and 
  furnish 
  food 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  pheasants, 
  but 
  for 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   starlings 
  and 
  warblers. 
  After 
  leaving 
  the 
  plains 
  the 
  rivers 
  occasionally 
  flow 
  through 
  

   gorges, 
  often 
  exceedingly 
  deep 
  and 
  narrow. 
  Islands 
  appear 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  covered 
  with 
  

  

  