Norwich, Norfolk, UK (1 Viewer)

[Justin42]

Hi. Please could you help me identify this? It was just outside Norwich this morning. Thanks. It doesn't match anything in my guide book.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Justin,

its one of the Pheasants, please note the right shape, including the bill and a long tail.

Its a dark pigmented = melanistic bird. This and my little experience with all possible species (so many to be considered here imo) makes confident ID hard for me.
It doesnt look like a darker female of a Common Pheasant for me, but as said better wait for others. Thanks from me too!

(and yes, I find this question interesting, its Bird ID)

 

[Bewick]

Hello Justin,

its one of the Pheasants, please note the right shape, including the bill and a long tail.

Its a dark pigmented = melanistic bird. This and my little experience with all possible species (so many to be considered here imo) makes confident ID hard for me.
It doesnt look like a darker female of a Common Pheasant for me, but as said better wait for others. Thanks from me too!

(and yes, I find this question interesting, its Bird ID)

I would disagree, a few weeks back I had a melanistic female common pheasant in a group of common pheasants. Looked extremely similar to op's birds, this bird just seems to have a slightly deformed/damaged bill and face.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

I would disagree, a few weeks back I had a melanistic female common pheasant in a group of common pheasants. Looked extremely similar to op's birds, this bird just seems to have a slightly deformed/damaged bill and face.

Hello Bewick, wow thanks for correction!

I have seen so many Common Pheasants over the years, including aberrant and melanistic ones, but I cant remember one like this with thin engraved, ornate white and rusty lines .

 

[Butty]

Clearly a pheasant - and, given how they seem to have got increasingly odd over the years, I (with no specialist knowledge) would pass it off as an ornamental/domestic common pheasant. I don't see a wild-type species to match it in HBW. As Bewick says, it's got a deformed bill which may be why it looks scraggy.

 

[PYRTLE]

Normal for Norfolk.....locally they have released very dark / black birds for quite a while, surprisingly all I've noticed seem to be the very striking males.