Ill tempered pheasant

An aggressive pheasant is locked in a vicious territorial battle with the farmer who owns the field he lives in. The brutal bird dives on cattle farmer Ted Cull every time he tries to go into the field at his farm in Winchcome in Gloucestershire.

Pecking and squawking, the bird - nicknamed "My Mate" by Mr Cull - chases the 78-year-old away.

His avian attacks have even drawn blood, leaving the farmer afraid to go near his own field.He said: "It all started about eight weeks ago. Every time I went into the field the pheasant would race after me and peck at me to try and get me out. He's an aggressive little blighter, but he just doesn't seem to like me, and he's quite frightening when he's parading up and down the bonnet of your Land Rover staring at you with his beady eyes. When I drive out the field he runs after the car for about half a mile to make sure I don't come back."

A spokesman for the RSPB said the bird's behaviour was likely be a case of the bird being over-protective of his territory.

He said: "The pheasant breeding season runs between March and June. This seems to be a case of a male who is protecting his territory during the breeding season. The best thing to do is too avoid the bad tempered bird until the danger has passed."