On a recent trip to Georgia to see Nate & Shea, Julius and Dominic we visited an adventure park where I spotted this female golden pheasant, which is native to the forests and mountains of western China.
Wild Adventures, Valdosta, Georgia
As I was photographing the rather plain female, I happened to look down and saw a colorful male briskly walking straight toward me. What a face!
I darted out of his way and captured a side view as he quickly made his way over to his mate.
They’re stunning birds.
They sure are ~ I have to admit I was dazzled. 🙂
What a stunning regal creature. Reminds me of an Egyptian pharoah.
Now that you mention it Sybil, the male does look rather like a pharaoh.
Great captures of these beautiful birds! Love the middle shot in particular.
Thanks, Tiny! I was so surprised that the middle one came out. He came out of nowhere and was moving so fast.
I saw a male in our woods in Georgia. I was able to get several great pictures. I had to do a picture search to find out what it was. I was thinking it was a pheasant. What I read said if seen in Georgia, it was more than likely a captive bird that had escaped. It also said little was known about them because they were shy and evasive. Can anyone validate this? It was incredibly to accidentally run across such a beautiful bird in the wild!!
That must have been quite a surprise finding a golden pheasant out in the woods! I was quite dazzled by the one we saw at Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia. I wonder if the one you saw might have escaped from there? Apparently they can make good pets if you give them enough space and the right food. They probably won’t survive as long in the wild as they do in captivity.