Fall Decorating with Pheasant and Bird Decor

 I think pheasant decor is quintessential fall decor. But not just pheasants: turkeys, quail, ducks, owls -- you name it -- game birds galore. 

 

These game birds can be found in figurine form, on dishware, on pillows and in art prints, among other things. I love displaying them in all forms around the house at the first sign of fall, continuing through Thanksgiving. 

So how did these birds become the harbinger of fall? Using game birds in fall home decor bridges a long history of  European game bird traditions and American rustic-harvest styling. 

European Game Bird Tradition:

Let's call it the sporting estate look. Or perhaps a Ralph Lauren fall decor look? By the 18th and 19th centuries, pheasants became central to European country sports and game traditions. It was seen in countryside fashion, neutral-toned tweeds, embroidered prints and estate artwork, naturally spilling over into manor house autumn displays.

American Migration & Harvest Tradition:

Introduction of the Ring-Neck: The Chinese ring-necked pheasant and other Asian-European hybrids were successfully introduced to North America in the late 19th century (around 1881), thriving heavily across Midwest grain and farming regions (where I currently live).

Tying into Autumn/Thanksgiving: Because hunting season peaks in the fall, incorporating taxidermy, bronze or resin figurines, and heritage transferware (such as Spode or vintage game-bird plates) became a way to celebrate the bounty of the harvest, rustic warmth, and Americana.

In addition, today decorators use tapered pheasant tail feathers -- tucked into mantels, fall centerpieces, dough bowls with pomegranates and apples, or paired with magnolia leaves and pumpkins for a classic, textured fall look. My own feather display is shared later in this post.

 

 TURKEY AND PHEASANT TABLEWARE

 Let's begin with some of my tableware from 2024, shared previously in Thrill of the Hunt #136.   

 

I picked up this large turkey tureen on clearance a number of years ago. They tend to be quite pricey today, but they can sometimes be found at thrift stores.

 

Ironically, I bought these turkey salt and pepper shakers at Target as well, many years after I bought the tureen. 

The shakers were not expensive at all.

 

These turkeys sat pretty on my dining room table accompanying a Thanksgiving charcuterie board.  

 

This colorful, vintage, thrifted turkey tureen and matching salt and pepper shakers added a bit of whimsy to the table. 

I was thrilled the ladle was included, as they sometimes get lost over the years. 

 

This pheasant plate is a Royal Stafford Woodland pattern. 

 

A thrifted vintage ring neck pheasant decanter and my pheasant plate were introduced in How to Make a Vintage Pheasant Decanter Fall Centerpiece.   

 

This fall display covers much ground in the way of pheasants, turkey planters, brown transferware, brown glass, fall foliage, orange taper candles and faux artichokes and fall leaves.

More of my pheasant tabletop decor appears in the form of pheasant salt and pepper shakers. I was thrilled to find them at Target, of all places. I love their fall coloring and their posture. While new, they somehow give off a vintage vibe, which I love (especially when paired with vintage brown transferware). 

 

VINTAGE PHEASANT & PARTRIDGE PRINTS

Another way to display pheasants and other game birds is by hanging art prints. Of course, you can buy contemporary art depicting pheasants or other game-type birds. But I prefer to use vintage prints, if possible.

  

You can find some of these vintage prints on websites like Etsy and eBay, or, if you're lucky, in vintage shops. I came across this wild turkey vintage print in a vintage shop, sitting in a box filled with vintage botanical and nature prints. I rifled through the box for a while before I came up with this beauty.

It's a chromolithograph of a wild turkey from Jacob H. Studer's The Birds of North America (1895) and illustrated by Theodore Jasper. I got mine for $2. I later found it for sale online for $50.00. 

 

Here's the Common American Partridge (historically known as the Virginia Partridge, now known as the Northern Bobwhite) as drawn by John James Audubon, plate 289, "The Birds of America." The artist signed his prints "Drawn from nature by J J Audubon." I got this print the same place I got the turkey print. It, too, was only $2. 

 

The partridge print had a flip side with the California Partridge on it.

You'll probably want to frame your prints. If you're like me, you already have some potential frames. And if you don't, there's always the thrift store!   

FALL DECORATING WHIMSY 

These cute little guys --two owls and a squirrel - are in my fall stash. They were all thrifted years ago.   

Like my pheasant salt and pepper shakers, this cute squirrel is one half of a set. Although not a bird, this was a lone shaker I just couldn't pass up.

 

Lastly, I have to display my vintage Avon cologne bottle in the shape of a hunting pointer! What could be more perfect for fall decor?

I think I'll always love the look of pheasant and bird decor in my home for fall and around the Thanksgiving holiday. If you you've never decorated with them before, maybe it's time to give it a try?!  

Well, that's it for today, friends!

I hope you enjoyed reading about 

Fall Decorating with Pheasant and Bird Decor

and that I've inspired you in some way.

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