Pheasant.

On the CL we are stopping on I have a feeder out and this evening there was a cock and hen pheasant feeding for ages under it. I hadn't seen a pheasant like this one before so took some pics. It was a buff colour, a lot lighter and different markings to the usual pheasant.

Later a pheasant of the common variety arrived and the pair of males were running along a fence trying to get at each other until the common one got through. There was much strutting their stuff before the fight started. This went on for ages again much displaying then fighting until the common took off defeated.

Now the question.

I looked on the net to see if I could see what kind of pheasant it was or was it just a different variation in colouring to the common. Comparing the pics it was definitely a Ring Necked Pheasant. Are these birds common because I've certainly never seen one before? Even the female seemed lighter than the common pheasant.