patch the ugly little pheasant Once Upon a Time nestled deep in a cozy grassy meadow filled with yummy seeds and Wiggly Worms lived a family of pheasants Mama pheasant was warm and kind with soft Brown feathers like fallen leaves Papa pheasant was very handsome with colorful feathers on his head a bright red patch around his eye and long beautiful tail feathers that shimmered gold and Brown in the sunshine now something unusual had happened just before nesting time there had been a big Gusty wind one night that rattled the trees and blew leaves everywhere the next
morning while Tiding her nest Mama pheasant found an extra egg lying near the edge of the meadow looking cold and lonely it was slightly bigger than her own eggs and a different shape but Mama pheasant had a kind heart oh you poor lost thing she clucked softly and carefully gently she rolled the mystery egg into her own warm Nest beside the others soon one Sunny morning tap tap tap went the eggs in the nest one by one fluffy little pheasant chicks hatched out there was Finn Freddy and Felix they were tiny balls of fuzz brown
and yellow cheaping loudly for their breakfast mama and papa pheasant were very proud then the slightly bigger mystery egg began to wobble tap tap crack finally out tumbled another chick he looked much like his brothers maybe a tiny bit bigger and definitely a bit clumsier stumbling over his own little feet right away let's call him patch chir Mama pheasant nuzzling him gently he seemed to have patchy bits of fluff that stuck out oddly Finn Freddy and Felix were already excited about growing up wek be handsome like Papa Finn would boast with colorful heads added Freddy
and long shimmery Tails chirped Felix then they'd look at patch who was concentrating so hard on pecking a stubborn seed that he hadn't heard them what about patch snickered Finn he can't even Peck straight he trips more than he hops giggled Freddy look at him wobble he's just patched the plane declared Felix patchy feathers patchy walking patch heard them that time and his little head drooped why couldn't he be quick and shooted like his brothers why were his feathers such a plain muddy color one afternoon patch was feeling particularly sad his brothers had discovered the
tiniest faintest hints of color starting on their own feathers and were making a huge fuss strutting back and forth see patch real color said Finn pointing with his beak to a slightly darker feather on his head not like your dull fluff added Freddy puffing out his chest you'll never be handsome like Papa teased Felix flicking his tiny tail feathers patch felt a tear well up in his little bird eye he wandered away from his boastful Brothers hiding near a patch of Bramble bushes he heard a soft little chirp nearby hello patch peaked through the leaves
sitting there was a young female pheasant all soft Brown feathers hello patch chirped back miserably my name is Penny she said kindly why the long face my brothers patch mumbled kicking at a pebble they tease me because I'm plain and clumsy they're getting colors but I'm just Brown and patchy they say I'll never be handsome Penny tilted her head well I'm going to stay Brown she said cheerfully female pheasants are brown it helps us hide our nests and keep our babies safe Brown is a very good color to be patch looked at Penny she seemed
perfectly happy being brown but I'm a boy pheasant patch said boy pheasants are supposed to be colorful hm said Penny maybe your colors are just taking a little longer or maybe you're special she hopped closer don't worry about colors yet do you want to find some crunchy berries With Me patch felt a little bit better Penny didn't laugh at him she liked Brown they spent the afternoon digging for food and sharing stories Penny was a true friend as the weeks passed patch and Penny explored everywhere together but patch couldn't help but notice his brothers changing
their head would definitely colorful now their tail longer with clear gold and brown patterns Red Skin showing around their eyes they looked more like Papa pheasant every day patch grew up a bit too he looked at his own feathers still brownish orange still clumsy the teasing didn't stop patch the plane muddy feathers patch they'd call though they were mostly too busy admiring themselves to bother him all the time still it hurt one day feeling very down patch and Penny wandered further than ever drawn by faint unusual calls carried on the Wind they reached the old
stone wall at the very edge of the meadow the calls were louder here ke K what is that whispered Penny patch felt a strange flutter inside him he had to see they found a loose Stone and peaked through the gap on the other side was a garden unlike anything they had ever seen and walking across the smooth green lawn were the most amazing Birds patch could imagine they were big much bigger than Papa pheasant one had a neck the color of a brilliant Blue Sky a tiny crown on its head and a long long long
train of feathers trailing behind him those feathers were dazzling green and gold decorated with big spots that looked like Giant Eyes keow the maget magnificent bird cried again Fanning out his incredible tail like a giant sparkly rainbow there were other birds too some brownish like Penny but bigger and other younger ones that looked a little bit like patch patch felt a strange pull towards these Grand Birds he didn't know why but he felt less out of place looking at them he squeezed through the Gap in the wall Penny right behind him a large graceful bird
with softer cream feathers but still with that elegant neck and little Crown noticed them she walked over her steps slow and Regal she looked kindly at patch well hello there little one she CED her voice was soft and musical why don't you go play with your siblings she said pointing at the younger birds that were Brown like patch and Penny oh penny and I are pheasants patch chirped uncertainly but my Brothers got their colors red and green and gold I just stayed Brown he looked down sadly the beautiful bird tilted her head looking closely at
Patch's feathers a gentle smile seemed to appear in her eyes oh my dear she said softly you are not a pheasant that's why your colors are different patch looked up confused not a pheasant then what am I look she said gently guiding him towards a shiny Pond patch peered into it he saw his reflection he was still mostly brownish gray but wait was that a hint of shimmering blue starting to show on his neck feathers you the kind bird said are a peach chick a baby peacock your colors are just starting to come in peacock
colors take a little longer to show than pheasant colors but oh when they do she gestured towards the Magnificent male bird who was proudly strutting nearby they are worth the wait patch stared at his reflection then at the Glorious peacock then back at himself a pachic he wasn't an ugly pheasant he was a baby peacock he wasn't plain his Beauty was just starting to bloom a wave of Happiness bubbled up inside patch he wasn't wrong or odd he was just just different a wonderful different kind of bird he grew up to be the most stunning
peacock in the garden his train a breathtaking fan of Blues greens Golds and iridescent eyes he loved his peacock family but he always visited mama and papa pheasant and His Kind friend penny at the wall sharing stories and berries Finn Freddy and Felix never teased him again they all learned a lesson being a handsome pheasant was wonderful being a magnificent peacock was wonderful and being a brown pheasant was wonderful too being different wasn't ugly it was the most beautiful thing of all the end but before you go did you know baby pheasants called chicks and
baby peacocks called Peach chicks look very very similar when they first hatch they are both small fluffy and usually brownish yellowish for camouflage it's true that young male pheasants start to get their bright colors relatively quickly as they grow young male peacocks however take much longer it can take them almost 3 years to get their full magnificent colors and famous longtail feathers just like patch in our story [Music]
