Emperor Ming likes an egg for breakfast

We had this beautiful golden pheasant brought in earlier in the year.  At first he was skittish and likes to hide out in a patch of nettles but gradually he’s settled down, made friends with Noel the turkey and become quite tame.   He is such a handsome bird with the most brilliant colours – a fantastic living work of art.

Golden pheasants are native to northern China but have become well established in the U.K., they live wild in some areas.   The like dense forest so they are hard to see.  They feed on the ground and run to get out of danger although they roost at night.

Our Emperor Ming is typical of his species, sometimes he hides so successfully in the aviary that we can’t find him, then suddenly he’ll appear.  At night he roosts on a bamboo cane, other times he goes in the shed with Noel.  They are good friends and eat from the same dish at times.

Ming has become tame with me also, if I hold a dish out to him he’ll come and eat from it.   It’s fantastic to see him up so close and to know that he trusts me.   His main diet is grain, mealworms and he loves peanuts.   I often give Noel an egg for breakfast and noticed that Ming ran to share it so now he has one too!

Ming has egg on his beak!

Amazing colours – blood red, bright orange, pale green, lapis blue.