Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine differences in the behaviour of chicks of three different pheasant subspecies. The timidity of the pheasant chicks was of special interest, therefore behaviour traits were analysed using an open-field test and a tonic immobility test. In total, 137 pheasant chicks were tested including the copper pheasant (Ph. c. colchicus; n = 87), the green pheasant (Ph. c. versicolor; n = 12) and the melanistic pheasant (Ph. c. tenebrosus; n = 38). In both tests, the chicks of the versicolor group showed the highest timidity, whereas the other two groups were similar in timidity. In the open-field test, the chicks of the colchicus group showed the lowest timidity, and in the tonic immobility test, the tenebrosus group showed the lowest values. Assuming a relationship between the test results and predator avoidance behaviour, it can be concluded that the chicks of the versicolor group show the best predator avoidance behaviour. Further investigations are needed to find out whether the differences in the analysed behaviour traits result in higher survival rates after releasing to the wild.
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