Silver pheasant befriends Ancram resident
Ancram resident Francesco Grisanzio was surprised to discover a silver pheasant in his yard on Tuesday, April 5, and sent out an email through the town’s Ancramemail seeking its owner. Before being able to reunite bird and owner, though, the feathered foul flew (or most likely sauntered) off. 
Photo by Francesco Grisanzio

Silver pheasant befriends Ancram resident

ancram — Of all the ways Ancram resident Francesco Grisanzio expected to spend his day on Tuesday, April 5, chances are he didn’t expect to pass his time befriending the impressively feathered foul that surprised him and his family when it wandered into their yard.

Grisanzio, who lives on Cottontail Road, between Hall Hill and Poole Hill roads, described the black-and-white bird native to the forested mountains in Southeast Asia and eastern and southern China, as “healthy and calm,” with “an agreeable personality.” Male silver pheasants are black-and-white while females of that breed are typically brown.   

While pointing out he “was no expert” on the species, Grisanzio said he knows some people raise pheasants for eggs while others hunt them.

On that Tuesday, the silver pheasant that wandered into Grisanzio’s yard appeared content to simply be.

“He hung around in our yard,” said Grisanzio. “He was a pleasant little guy. He didn’t make a fuss. We gave him some water, apples and bird feed; he followed us around. He was curious about us, and curious about our chickens — we keep chickens. We just peacefully hung out all day.”

Grisanzio said he “made contact with the likely owner of the bird, but by the time he arrived, he didn’t have the bird anymore; the pheasant had taken off when it got dark Tuesday night.”

Grisanzio was clearly disappointed he couldn’t reunite the animal with its owner.

“We lost track of the pheasant on the day of him hanging around,” he said, adding he hasn’t heard of any new sightings since.

He did say the man he believes owns the silver pheasant has “some other interesting ducks or geese I see when passing by his home. I believe a tree had fallen on [the pheasant’s] enclosure and he had gotten out.”

Silver pheasants typically forage during the morning and evening and aren’t known to fly except when fleeing from danger.

When interviewed, Grisanzio said he was just hoping owner and pheasant could be reunited.

“It’s a beautiful bird,” he said in a wistful tone, possibly hoping for a reunion with the animal himself one day in the not-too-distant-future.

— Whitney Joseph

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