Please can you explain why this pheasant runs at the car and follows us along the lane?
It could be for a number of reasons, here are our best suggestions.
1. As the pheasant was a male, he may have been defending his territory? Male pheasants can be very aggressive because during the breeding season a good territory can attract up to 20 females into a male's harem (he will mate with them all), so getting a good territory is vital. I think it is a bit early in the year for males to be setting up territories, but possibly this one has got an early start.
2. He might have seen his reflection in the car and thought it was another male? Or maybe he just thought the car in general was a threat. 3. Alternatively he could have just been being a bit dim. Pheasants can fly swiftly but are not able to sustain flight over long distances, this means they prefer to run rather than fly from danger. Maybe he was running away from something else and accidentally headed towards the car?
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