Anatomo-morphological features of free-living and farmed pheasants

Abstract

This study compared pheasant roosters living in a natural habitat (n = 10), where farm-bred birds had not been released for 7 years (hence the wild-living birds were assumed to have been determined exclusively by environmental conditions),. The other group (n = 10) comprised farmed pheasant roosters. In December 2010, the pheasants were hunted, and biometric measurements of some traits were performed. After dissection, the muscles, bones, organs, and gastrointestinal tract were weighed, and the length of the intestines was measured. It was shown that the farmed pheasants had a significantly higher body weight (1583 g and 1407 g), which was mainly related to the higher fat content (144 g and 30 g). The farmed roosters had shorter rectrices. The heart-to-body weight and liver-to-body weight ratios, i.e. 0.6 % and 1.9 % respectively, were the same in both groups. No differences were found between the groups in terms of the weight of the pectoral, limb, and wing muscles, but the farmed roosters had heavier leg and wing bones. The length of the intestines per 100 g body weight was 10.5 cm in the farmed roosters and 13.3 cm in the free-living birds. Statistical analysis of variance was performed, and the differences between the groups were verified with the Mann-Whitney test. The farmed pheasants were shown to differ only slightly from the free-living birds from the natural habitat; hence, they are suitable for reintroduction.