Just been attacked by a randy pheasant

[doodab]

I dunno where this one came from, but when you see a swan someone is bound to chirp up with

"Their wings are so strong they can break a man's leg".

a) is this true?
b) who or what propagated this rumour/fact? Was it someone like Desmond Morris or David Attenborough?

Enquiring minds wish to know...

and should that be Inquiring minds instead?

Enquiring:

ORIGIN Middle English enquere, from Old French enquerre, based on Latin inquirere (based on quaerere ‘seek’).

usage: The traditional distinction between enquire and inquire is that enquire is used for general senses of ‘ask’ while inquire is reserved for uses meaning ‘make a formal investigation’. In practice, however, there little discernible distinction in the way the two words are used today in British English, although inquiry is commoner than enquiry in the sense ‘a formal investigation’. In all senses inquire and inquiry are the more usual forms in US English, whereas enquire and enquiry are chiefly restricted to British English.

I always understood it was their beak and neck that would hurt you, not their wings. They are quite a big animal so I can believe it would hurt, dunno about broken bones but I'd guess if your a kid it's quite possible.

[barrydidit]

I'd have thought if there were much truth in it then these headlines:

Slaughter of the swans: As carcasses pile up and migrant camps are built on river banks, Peterborough residents are too frightened to visit the park

would be more like

Slaughter of the Poles: As carcasses pile up around swan nests, Peterborough residents are too frightened to visit the park

[KentPhilip]

He's not a pheasant plucker, he's a pheasant plucker's son
He'll go on plucking pheasants till the plucking day is done.

That's a phucking good tongue-twister that!

[Uncle Albert]

He's not a pheasant plucker, he's a pheasant plucker's son
He'll go on plucking pheasants till the plucking day is done.

I wonder how many versions of that there are? I always knew it as:

He's not the pheasant plucker he's the pheasant plucker's mate
And he's only plucking pheasants 'cos the pheasant plucker's late