# How Long Do Common Pheasants Live?

> Common Pheasant lifespan is typically 2–3 years in the wild (longer if not hunted). What shortens or extends life, life stages, and status (Least Concern).

- **Species:** Common Pheasant (*Phasianus colchicus*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Omnivore — seeds, grain, insects, and berries
- **Habitat:** Farmland, woodland edges, hedgerows, and grassland
- **Lifespan:** 2–3 years in the wild (longer if not hunted)
- **Top speed:** Explosive wing beats; strong short flight then running
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/pheasant/how-long-do-pheasant-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/pheasant/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The common pheasant is a large colourful game bird native to Asia, with the cock's iridescent green head, red face wattles, and long barred tail familiar across European and American hunting estates. Introduced worldwide for sport shooting, it weighs 0.8–1.5 kg (1.8–3.3 lb) and is Least Concern globally.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a prognosis for one named animal. This page is a species lifespan range.

## Game bird introductions

Romans and later medieval hunters spread pheasants from Asia across Europe. Mass releases on shooting estates in Britain, the United States, and New Zealand sustain populations far beyond what natural reproduction alone would support — millions are released annually for sport.

## Help protect the Common Pheasant

Wild pheasants lose hedgerows and farmland habitat to intensive agriculture across their introduced range.

[Donate to habitat protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/newsroom/habitat-loss-wildlife-extinction/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/pheasant/how-long-do-pheasant-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.