Introductions 
Green pheasants have some very desirable hunting qualities and quite 
naturally sportsmen throughout the world have attempted to introduce 
these birds into their own countries during the past 100 years. They 
have been raised in captivity almost as successfully as the ring-necked 
pheasant. According to Delacour (8) green pheasants were established 
by 1860 in Europe and in the 1880's in Oregon. The southern green 
pheasant (P. v. versicolor) was introduced into Hawaii prior to 1900 
as noted by Schwartz (17) and is still fairly successful on the windward 
slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island. 
With today's comparative stabilization of the ringneck pheasant 
range in the United States it has been hoped that trial experiments with 
races of the green pheasant would result in their establishment where 
ring-necked pheasants either have not done well or have never been estab- 
lished. (See Figure 3.) In cooperation with the Foreign Game Introduction 
Program, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois have 
been raising the northern green pheasant (P. v. robustipes) on State game 
farms. During the same period Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Ohio re- 
leased from game farm stock 2,200 of these pheasants. Encouraging results 
on carry-over and reproduction in the wild have been noted by State game 
personnel on several release areas in eastern Virginia (7). This par- 
ticular subspecies has been the one most commonly liberated in several 
parts of the world during the past 100 years. P.v. versicolor has been 
liberated in fewer numbers during the same period. 
Status in Japan 
This report emphasizes the northern green pheasant (P. v. robustipes) 
but also discusses the southern green pheasant (P. v. versicolor). 
It was learned while working in Japan during 1958-59 that the 
southern green pheasant has been so reduced in wild population numbers 
that northern green pheasants (P. v. robustipes) are now being propagated 
on the Kyushu game farm at Kagoshima for release in nearby habitats. Once 
this has been completed it may be difficult to obtain pure strain of P. v. 
versicolor, With this situation in mind, and rerognizing the interest 
among the States in acquiring green pheasants suitable for colder parts 
of the United States, the Foreign Game Introduction Program concentrated 
its study and procurement on the northern green pheasant of Honshu. 
Common Names 
Some common names applied in Japan to the green pheasants dare as 
follows: 
Kiji General term for green pheasant 
Kita-kiji Northern green pheasant 
Kiushiu-ki ji Southern green pheasant 
Kyushu green pheasant 
Kiushiu green pheasant 
Shima-ki ji Pacific green pheasant 
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