Ageing Irish pheasants by measurement of their proximal primaries.

Abstract

Proximal primaries were collected from Irish Pheasants of known age and the shaft diameters used to determine the discriminant measurements applicable for separating adult and immature birds. Cock Pheasants with a shaft diameter of below 3. I mm were immatures, those above being adults. The age classes of hens demonstrated an overlap of measurements in the range 2.8 mm to 3.1 mm. Although hens with a shaft diameter within that range could not be aged, this technique allowed 83% of the hens to be allocated to a specific age class, those below 2.8 mm and above 3. 1 mm being immatures and adults respectively. The discriminant measures obtained were lower than the corresponding values from Britain and reflect the smaller size of Irish pheasants.