In the world of pheasants, the males take all the color. They sport fantastic plumage, with golds, reds, metallic greens and extremely long tails. The females, by contrast, wear mottled brown: perfect camouflage for going unnoticed while they incubate. Almost all pheasants come from Asia. The best known, the common pheasant, owes its name to a river in ancient Colchis, in the Caucasus, the land to which, according to Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts traveled. And the golden pheasant, from the mountains of China, looks as if it has stepped out of a painting. They spend almost the whole day on the ground, looking for seeds and insects. But if they get frightened, they suddenly take off with a thunderous beating of wings. Surprise guaranteed.