I've been trying to get picture of one of these very dark (? melanic)pheasants for some months. This was taken on what was mostly a very overcast day, just as I began to take the shot a shaft of sunlight appeared and my 'black' pheasant was transformed into a vision of iridescent blue!
Melanistic, but probably just a genetic throwback rather than a pure bred.
Surprisingly, the pheasant gene pool in the UK is not huge and there are so many mongrel species around that it is nearly impossible to pin down a pure bred in the wild.
Sunshine is never a friend to the pheasant photographer, unless maybe you are shooting into it when a cock is displaying.
Discussion
2 repliesD200 200-400 VR + 1.4x f7.1 1/640th +0.3
Surprisingly, the pheasant gene pool in the UK is not huge and there are so many mongrel species around that it is nearly impossible to pin down a pure bred in the wild.
Sunshine is never a friend to the pheasant photographer, unless maybe you are shooting into it when a cock is displaying.