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Story: Game birds

Upland game birds: cock pheasant

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Upland game birds: cock pheasant

Pheasants’ attractive plumage and tasty flesh make them popular with hunters. They are primarily found in the North Island, with smaller populations in Nelson and Canterbury.

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Fish and Game New Zealand

by Grahame Hopcraft

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How to cite this page

Neil Deans, Game birds – Game birds in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/16705/upland-game-birds-cock-pheasant (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Neil Deans, published 30 October 2009, updated 20 April 2025.