Just don't try this because you lack what is needed to be right on this issue.
He has traits of a pheasant because the creature he's based on, the Eastern phoenix, has traits of it and its legend was more than likely born from certain species of phasianids, according to experts. He doesn't need to look exactly like a pheasant because he isn't meant to, but his role clearly relates to this animal (although you need to know a bit of mythology to know how).
Marco's beak is different because it refers a crane, another of the Fenghuang's forming birds. He has the pheasant's wattle and crest, comparable to those of the rooster (both creatures being comparable at a cultural level). This obvious inspiration appears in his techniques, with names such as "Hoo-in" (Hoo is the Japanese name for Fenghuang) or "Blue-Flamed Goose" and "Crane Claw" (both of which are birds composing Fenghuang). It's funny, though, that you are trying to argue with Marco's design since what he actually lacks are traits of a Western phoenix whose name literally means "of color red" yet our guy's animal is blue (if anything, his color palette resembles more the five colors given to Fenghuang).
And the fruit is called "model phoenix" because modern Fenghuang is virtually merged with the Western phoenix, to the point the Wikipedia's page on Fenghuang is translated into "phoenix" (so imagine how deep the relationship is as soon as you dive deeper than freaking Wikipedia). Both of them are understood as phoenixes nowadays.
You have no case here, for real.
