Horatio Clare on the Pheasant

The author and journalist Horatio Clare reflects on the cultural history of the human relationship with pheasants. Its Latin name Phasianus Colchicus links the pheasant to the ancient kingdom of Colchis on the shores of the Black Sea, made famous in Greek mythology as the land of the Golden Fleece. These large, colourful long-tailed birds are native to Asia, and likely journeyed to western Europe with the Romans, becoming a symbol of wealth and status. The Normans are credited with popularising the shooting of pheasants in the 11th century, an industry which today releases an estimated 30-45 million captive-bred pheasants into the British countryside every year. Presented by Horatio Clare and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol. This programme features audio from Xeno-Canto recorded by Simon Elliot, David M and Tanguy Loïs (XC155202, XC640749 and XC727854 - Common Pheasant).

You can listen to Horatio Clare on the Pheasant online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Horatio Clare on the Pheasant is an episode from Tweet of the Day by BBC.

This episode is 1:34 long.

This episode was published on Dec 14, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Tweet of the Day when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.