Phasianus colchicus
1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.
A large ground-dwelling game bird, reared and released for shooting in Britain and Europe and farmed elsewhere. The USDA entry named here is the raw meat with skin; the breast is pale and the leg dark and sinewy.
Also known as Common pheasant, Ring-necked pheasant, Faisan
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.
May support muscle protein synthesis as a lean complete protein. The supporting evidence is about animal protein generally; no trial has used pheasant or any other game bird.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.
AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Macronutrients | ||
| Calories | 181 kcal | 9% |
| Protein | 22.7 g | 45% |
| Total fat | 9.29 g | 12% |
| Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0% |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0% |
| Water | 67.8 g | — |
| Fats | ||
| Saturated fat | 2.7 g | 14% |
| Monounsaturated fat | 4.32 g | — |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 1.18 g | — |
| Cholesterol | 71 mg | 24% |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0 g | — |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g | — |
| DPA (omega-3) | 0 g | — |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 0.81 g | — |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 53 µg | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 5.3 mg | 6% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.072 mg | 6% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.143 mg | 11% |
| Niacin (B3) | 6.43 mg | 40% |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.928 mg | 19% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.66 mg | 39% |
| Folate | 6 µg | 2% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.77 µg | 32% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 12 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1.15 mg | 6% |
| Magnesium | 20 mg | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 214 mg | 17% |
| Potassium | 243 mg | 5% |
| Sodium | 40 mg | 2% |
| Zinc | 0.96 mg | 9% |
| Copper | 0.065 mg | 7% |
| Manganese | 0.017 mg | 1% |
| Selenium | 15.7 µg | 29% |
| Other measured compounds | ||
| Ash | 1.27 g | — |
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Source record: Pheasant, raw, meat and skin (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174472).
% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.
Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Amino acid derivative
Stored in muscle as phosphocreatine for rapid energy regeneration. Present in meat and fish at roughly 3–5 g per kilogram of raw tissue.
Amino sulfonic acid
Concentrated in shellfish and dark poultry meat; involved in bile salt conjugation and cell volume regulation.
Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.
Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.
Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.
Worth knowing
Birds killed with lead shot retain fragments too small to see or feel, and studies of game meat have measured lead well above the levels permitted in other foods. Food safety agencies in the UK and EU advise that frequent eaters of lead-shot game, and particularly young children, pregnant women and women planning pregnancy, should minimise it, because no safe threshold for lead intake has been identified. Non-lead ammunition is the alternative.
Worth knowing
Wild game birds are not processed under the same continuous inspection as farmed poultry, and hanging practice varies widely. Campylobacter and Salmonella have both been found in game bird carcasses, so the usual poultry cooking rules apply.
Too much
Pheasant carries far less intramuscular fat than farmed chicken, so it dries out quickly. That is a cooking constraint rather than a health issue, but it drives the wrapping in bacon and butter that changes the nutritional picture of the dish.