The Reeve's Pheasant can be found in the evergreen forests of central and eastern China. Where introduced, they also inhabit farmland close to woodlands.

They have been introduced for sport and ornamental purposes to the United States, Czech Republic, France and the United Kingdom. In the latter three countries, they have built up small breeding populations, and are still released on a small scale for shooting, often alongside common pheasants.

Due to ongoing habitat loss, and over hunting for food and its tail plumes, the Reeve's Pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. There are thought to be only around 2000 birds remaining in the wild.

The Reeve's pheasant is a hardy bird and is able to tolerate both hot and cold weather. They prefer higher ground for nesting. The female lays a clutch of 7–14 eggs in April or May; the incubation period is 24–25 days. Reeve's Pheasants can be aggressive towards humans, animals, and other pheasants, particularly during the breeding season. Males measure about 83 in. long and weigh a little over 3.25 lbs. The male is brightly plumaged with a scaled golden white and yellow body plumage, gray legs, brown iris and bare red skin around the eye. The head is white with a black narrow band across its eyes. The male has an extremely long silvery white tail barred with chestnut brown that grows approximately 12 in every year. This pheasant is mentioned in the 2008 edition of Guinness World Records for having the longest natural tail feather of any bird species; a record formerly held by the Crested Argus pheasant. The tail can measure up to 7 ft.9 in. long.

Females measure 30 in. long and weigh a little over 2 lbs. They are brown with a blackish crown, a buff face and grayish brown barred tail feathers. The females are about the same size as a male Ringneck Pheasant. Their call is unlike other game birds in that it is a musical warble, sounding more passerine than a galliform bird.