A student may have discovered a rare exotic bird believed to be extinct in Britain.
Known as Lady Amherst’s pheasant, the bird is definitely a sight to behold. It has a red crest with an impressive orange, blue, green and yellow colored plumage. The bird’s tail feather is long and exaggerated with a black and white pattern and measures about 3 to 4 feet in length.
The birds were introduced to England in the 1890s by Lady Sarah Amherst, who brought them to her property from native China and Myanmar. In 1990, there were only about 20 of the remaining pheasants in the UK. The last Lady Amhearst is believed to have been discovered and photographed in 2015.
That was until St. Andrews University student Sophie Pearson ran into the single bird when she was looking out of her apartment window on March 5, 2021.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing at the beginning, especially due to the size of the bird and at first I thought it was a peacock,” Pearson told the Courier. “We ran to get a closer look and, to our surprise, he didn’t run and looked quite tame.”
Pearson fed the pheasant with oats and the bird remained in his garden for about 20 minutes.
“I was quite amazed, as he was an incredible looking creature and the colors were so vivid,” Pearson told the Courier. “Eventually, he fell on a tree and then disappeared so as not to be seen again, despite leaving a little more food.”
The student contacted the British Trust of Ornithology (BTO) to inform the institution of the rare sighting.
“The bird is believed to be extinct in the wild in the UK, however, although it is unlikely, it is not inconceivable that there may be a ‘rogue’ bird surviving in Fife,” Paul Stancliffe, BTO’s media manager told Courier. “Despite their brilliant marks, pheasants can be extremely elusive and difficult to find when they want to, who knows?”
The last umbrella you will buy:
In The Know is now available on Apple News – follow us here!
If you liked this story, take a look at this family that discovered an “insanely huge” unwanted guest in their living room.
More from In The Know:
6 candles that will leave you with a lot of enthusiasm for spring, according to the editors of In The Know
7 of the best sunscreens for darker skin
TikTok loves this viral herb protector that keeps products fresh for weeks
This amazing high-tech toaster and oven hybrid is the perfect modern kitchen tool
The post Experts ‘gaping’ at the sight of a rare bird thought to be extinct appeared for the first time on In The Know.