Porto-Franco City

In the National Natural Park “Tuzlivski Limany” scientists spotted a female pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) with eight chicks. They bravely roamed the paths where jackals often appear.

This was reported by Ivan Rusev, the head of the research department at NNP “Tuzlivski Limany”.

Did you know what tactics pheasants use to protect their offspring? These amazing birds spend most of their lives on the ground rather than in the air, which is why they have devised strategies that confuse even the cleverest predators.

Pheasants, especially females, pretend to be injured or sick when faced with danger, particularly when their chicks are nearby. They divert attention from the nest by crawling or flying away, making sounds that mimic an injured bird. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for the next generation, yet they hope to distract the predator, escape, survive, and return to their chicks.

Unfortunately, the survival of pheasants is threatened by the destruction of floodplain meadows, deforestation of protective forest belts, the use of herbicides and pesticides, and especially hunting. To preserve the species, hunting of this bird must be prohibited, environmentally friendly farming practices need to be implemented, birds should be fed during harsh winters, and thickets and floodplain meadows should be preserved. The pheasant is protected under the EU Directive on the Protection of Wild Birds and the Bern Convention.