Phasianids are small to large, ranging from 500 g to 9.5 kg in weight. Phasianids have short, rounded wings. Tail length is variable by species, appearing almost tailless in some to up to one meter in others. Plumage coloration ranges from cryptic to dark to brightly -patterned. The legs are sturdy and one or more spurs may be present on the tarsus. Toes are short with blunt claws and the hallux is raised. Phasianids may have crests, or bare skin on the head or neck, or wattles. Physical characteristics may be sexually monomorphic or dimorphic depending on species. Some phasianid males are larger, more brightly colored, have longer tails or more elaborate ornamentation than females.
Small to large terrestrial birds
Old World, with greatest diversity in SE Asia and Africa.
When disturbed some phasianids fly straight up into the air, then fly horizontally away from the source of the disturbance. Other species will move quietly into cover when disturbed. Many species are often seen dust-bathing. Some quail and partridges live in social groups from 4 to 40 individuals. They do not appear to defend territories and monogamous pair bonds may persist year round. Old World quail may be solitary or live in coveys. These taxa are sometimes polygynous, with males defending territories and singing to attract females to nest. During migration Old World quail may travel in large flocks. Pheasant social organization varies. Some species may gather into flocks, which break up into breeding pairs during the breeding season. Others may be found in single sex groups of bachelor males or groups of females defended by one male. Males may defend territories and attract one or more females to breed. Still others may live primarily solitarily, with males defending territories and attracting females to display grounds. In some pheasants dominance hierarchies play an important role in organizing social structure. The hierarchy consists of individualized dominant-subordinate relationships. Males generally dominate females. Male and female hierarchies are established via intra-sexual interactions. Higher rank may be associated with greater body and comb size, and success in threat posturing. High-ranking males achieve high mating success relative to lower ranking males. Dominant females appear less sexually receptive. Behavioral displays used to establish hierarchies include: waltzing, wing-flapping, tid-bitting, feather ruffling, head shaking, tail spreading, frontal or bilateral wing lowering, wattle engorgement, or crouching.
Phasianids inhabit a diversity of habitats including rainforests, scrub forests, deserts, woodlands, bamboo thickets, cultivated lands, alpine meadows, tundra and forest edges. Some species may be found up to 5000 m above sea level, sometimes more.
Phasianids are generally sedentary although a few species migrate long distances in large flocks.
Phasianids forage by digging and scratching the ground. When disturbed some phasianids fly straight up into the air, then fly horizontally away from the source of the disturbance. Other species will move quietly into cover when disturbed.
Phasianid mating systems are variable depending upon species. Some taxa are described as monogamous with the pair bond lasting the duration of the breeding season Generally monogamous species are sexually monomorphic in plumage coloration and size, or slightly dimorphic. Some taxa are polygynous with a pair bond evident until incubation of the eggs. Males of these taxa are often brighter or larger than females. Polygynandry has also been observed in some taxa, with pair bonds evident to copulation. In these taxa males are generally more brightly colored and often somewhat larger than females. In some species males gather on leks to display for females. Courtship behaviors may include tid-bitting (food-showing), strutting, waltzing, and wing-lowering. Sometimes elaborate lateral or frontal displays take place, in which males expose the most colorful parts of their plumage, which may include tail spreading and displaying of swollen wattles. Socially dominant males may copulate more frequently and more successfully than males lower in the social hierarchy. Status in the male hierarchy may be related to size, coloration and relative display characteristics. In phasianids, it appears that females alone incubate, beginning with the last egg laid and continuing for 19 to 29 days. Females may brood chicks for as long as 16 weeks. In some species males help rear young by providing defense of nest or brood. In other species males appear to provide no parental care. Parents and offspring of some species join coveys or flocks at the end of the breeding season.