Poultry
Melanistic Mutant
A tier
Melanistic mutant pheasants are dark-plumaged game-farm birds selected for nearly black cock colouring and often slightly different body conformation. Meat is still lean pheasant—mild game, pale breast—without tasting “black”; the name is about feathers, not flesh colour. Cook as common pheasant with bacon or butter. Popular on shoots for visibility and aesthetics; culinary performance tracks good farmed stock.
Also known as: Melanistic mutant, Black pheasant (melanistic)
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Dark mutant pheasants were noted and bred on British estates.
Melanistic lines became established game-farm products.
American preserves stocked melanistic mutants for sport variety.
Dark pheasants remained common in release and specialty meat lists.