The ring-necked pheasant (Latin Phasianus colchicus) also known as the common pheasant, is a bird that is native to Asia and parts of Europe like the northern foothills of the Caucasus and the Balkans. Its origins can be traced back to antiquity when the bird was introduced to the Europeans from Colchis, a country on the Black Sea. Τhe last truly wild birds survive around the river Nestos.