It is named after the British naturalist John Reeves, who first introduced live specimens to Europe in 1831.

The male has an extremely long silvery white tail barred with chestnut brown.

The Reeves's pheasant is endemic to the temperate evergreen and deciduous forests of central and eastern China.

Due to ongoing habitat loss, and overhunting for food and its tail plumes, the Reeves's pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The species is included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meaning international export/import (including in parts and derivatives such as feathers) requires CITES documentation to be obtained and presented to border authorities.