Today the area belongs to the Republic of Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union. There are 50 or so species of pheasant. The males have long tails and flashy, colorful markings, while the females are subdued in color, so that they blend into the grain fields where they tend their nests. One particularly gorgeous pheasant, the metallic green Japanese kiji, is known for being a foreteller of earthquakes. Sensitive to the slightest tremor, they call out in concert just before the quake.
Pheasants are distant ancestors of domesticated chickens.
Like chickens, they are gallinaceous birds. That is, they nest on the ground and seek out grassy fields and brushy areas to live in. Their habitat provides protective cover, concealing them from predators and sheltering them in cold weather. Not surprisingly, modern farming methods and the diminished areas of grassland in the country have worked together to threaten the pheasant population. However, active efforts to preserve the birds have had a positive effect in recent years.