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Pheasant wars

When a male pheasant is looked at more closely using slow motion filming technology, there's a lot more going on than just a loud call. A crowing call and thunderous drumming, beating his wings against the sides of the body, sends low level waves across the countryside, all declaring that this is his patch. And this is not an idle threat, it is a statement of prowess, strength and dominance over the females of the area. Any male that wants to try and take him on will have to fight, and these can get pretty vicious, even more so when you see it all in slow motion. First blows attack the head of the opponent and then almost on their backs they strike at each other with the sharp spurs on their feet, delivering raking body blows.

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2 minutes

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