Phasianus
\nThe
genus Phasianus in the
Pheasant family consists of (perhaps) a single species (
P. colchicus) with thirty subspecies recognised, twenty-nine on the
Asian mainland and one on the island of
Taiwan off the southern coast of
China. Some subspecies have been introduced to
North America and have hybridized and have now become well established over there.
The three forms on the
Japanese islands can be considered variants of a distinct and separate species (The Green Pheasant,
P. versicolor) though some authorities consider the Japanese birds to be part of the same species complex which would make thirty three subspecies in total.\n
