A handsome male pheasant dominates the scene, center stage on a large rock while the female lurks below, a crow or blackbird balancing above on a stalk of bamboo and a smaller bird in flight. The bold, ragged brush strokes contrive rocks into form, while the colors of ink bring the birdlife into being, typical of the 16th century Zhe school painters, one of whom was the likely artist of the present work.