Pheasant

A pheasant was a common animal of the Realms, and their flesh was often cooked and eaten. "I know exactly what I need, and it involves large and plentiful quantities of roasted pheasant, sweet subtleties, and red Amnian wine. And soon!"

- Cormik

Description
Pheasants were small birds that were hunted, and consumed by a variety of beings. They kept to dense foliage, and squawked when frightened or surprised.

Ecology
They were known to dwell in several places in Faerûn, including Cormanthor, Elturgard, the Moonshae, as well as Cormyr, Sembia, and the Dales.

During the winter, they would gather beneath clumps of shrubs, such as huckleberry bushes, for warmth.

Phesants were hunted not only by humans, but also by monsters such as stirges. Once caught by more civilized races, they were hung and left to bleed, and then cleaned. The pheasants could then be cooked in a variety of ways. They were frequently used in soups, such as Elturian pheasant tail soup, which was served in many taverns and inns like The Raging Lion. As pheasants were usually decent quality, and thus not always available, lower quality meat was often put in the soup instead. As well as soups, the cooked bird flesh could be used to fill the inside of pies, as were served at the Sleeping Cat restaurant. Another method was to roast the bird on a skewer. Locals of Swords Meet claimed that pheasant, which was roasted to crackling, served alongside apples, dark applecake and a layer of mushrooms was a most rare delicacy. After being cooked, they were sometimes covered in gravy.

Envoys of Alustriel Silverhand were known to bestow upon parties venturing out of Silverymoon skewers of roast pheasant and wine.

History
Circa 1345 DR, pheasants were considered common game, as were quail. Arlen and Pawldo of the Moonshae Isles managed to shoot twelve such birds with their bows and arrows over the course of a few days.

Appearances

 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
 * Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
 * Novels
 * Curse of the Shadowmage
 * Darkwalker on Moonshae
 * Finder's Bane
 * Frostfell
 * Sword Play
 * The Temptation of Elminster