Run Hens Run

Who is following who? I am not 100% sure but I think this is a Melanistic Mutant pheasant hen being followed by a peahen, running away from the males.

With all the peacocks starting strutting their stuff and making these irritating calls, I too would be ducking and diving like these two hens are. Run hens run!

Don’t get me wrong hearing a peacock call is majestic in the wild but having the call to love done over and over and over again just outside your office can become a bit much.

Melanistic Mutant

Last Friday evening I had a few guests over and we spotted a pheasant which I thought was a Grey Peacock. Okay it was dark but after taking some photos of them today and doing a bit of researching I found out that the bird we saw on Friday was a female Melanistic Mutant Pheasant. Strange name yes but they are a melanistic form of the Common Pheasant, sort of a breeding mutation that was first observed in 1880s and are now considered a breed on its own.