Amherst Pheasant

Amherst Pheasant Fly Tying Feathers

Native these birds can be found in Tibet, Southwestern China, and northern Burma, but the Lady Amherst Pheasant also been introduced in Britain, New Zealand and even Hawaii. The Lady Amherst Pheasant is named after Sarah, Countess of Amherst (1762-1838).  William Pitt Amherst, Governor General of India her husband, was responsible for sending the first birds to London in the early 1800's. The Amherst Pheasant is highly secretive and rarely emerges into the open land.

Similar to the Golden Pheasant however the head of the male Lady Amherst’s Pheasant  has a tippet section is stunning silver colour with black barring and the crest feathers are translucent dark red. Lady Amherst Crests are used as topping or tails. Tippets are used as applied back to back in matched pairs as wings on salmon/steelhead flies, Lady Amherst tippets make great tailing material or can wound as hackle for spider flies or Spey flies.