The Common Pheasant nests on the ground. The hen scrapes a simple hollow concealed in dense vegetation, often in field margins, ditch banks or scrub. She usually lays 8–15 olive-brown eggs and incubates them alone for about 23–27 days. The young are nidifugous, leaving the nest shortly after hatching and finding food themselves under the hen's watch. They can make short fluttering flights after just a week or so.