Birds of the pheasant family are representatives of birds of small and medium size. They differ from grouse in the bare metatarsus (part of the leg from the lower leg to the toes) or plumage in its upper part. In addition, they have longer legs, which gives them the ability to run fast.
Pheasants mainly forage on the ground, but can dig up the soil. They peck food only from those bushes that they can reach with their beaks. All birds of the pheasant family nest exclusively on the ground. They live in the steppes, mountains, deserts and forests. Many species prefer shrubs. Most of them lead a sedentary lifestyle, but there are those who wander or fly away for the winter.
Birds of the pheasant family belong to the largest order Chicken, which has 174 species. This includes all representatives of quails, partridges, pheasants, francolins, snowcocks, wild chickens and peacocks. For example, the stone partridge (keklik) is a typical inhabitant of the mountains with peculiar habits. She is careful and quick.movements. And her strong legs with well-developed muscles allow the bird to run fast. In addition, it has strong muscles on the chest and short but wide wings, which ensures a rapid take-off. Throughout his life, the keklik is on the ground, only in extreme cases sits on bushes or trees. It is distributed from the Sinai Peninsula, the Balkans and the Alps to the Himalayas and China. It also lives in Central Asia, Altai and the Caucasus.
Turach is another ground bird of the pheasant family. In size, it is slightly larger than a partridge, and in habits resembles pheasants. In case of danger, he runs perfectly, stretching his neck and often moving his head, then flies up like a candle and, having overcome several meters in flight, lands in the thickets and runs away again.
The male is painted black. It has a longitudinal brownish-red pattern on its wings and back. On the underside of the body - round and white streaks. And on the tail and lower back - transverse white stripes. The beak of the bird is also black, and the legs are red. The female has paler tones. Turach prefers the plains. Inhabits dense thickets of blackberries, camel thorn, tamarisk and so on.
The Bankivian rooster is a forest bird of the pheasant family. He is a representative of bush chickens, distributed in South Asia and India. In size, it is slightly smaller than our black grouse. Males are distinguished by bare cheeks, a fleshy high crest and ear "earrings". The loin, front of the back, neck and head are orange-red. On the back, the color turns to purple-red, and the tail andthe wings shimmer with greenish-black hues.
The common peacock is one of the largest representatives of the Chicken order. These birds of the pheasant family are distinguished by a long neck, a strong physique, a small head with a peculiar crest, high legs, short wings and a medium tail. Males are characterized by feathers covering the tail, which forms a luxurious, fanned peacock tail. And thanks to the brilliant plumage with a combination of green, blue and red tones, this bird is considered the most beautiful of all birds. The peacock is widespread in Ceylon and India. He likes to settle in large forests among shrubs. Despite its long tail, it runs well and deftly makes its way through dense bushes.
