Ring-necked Pheasant

The Ring-necked Pheasant is a large, long-tailed gamebird native to Asia that has been widely introduced around the world, including across much of the northern United States and southern Canada, where it is now a familiar sight of open farm country. Males are unmistakably showy, with an iridescent bottle-green head, bright red bare facial skin, a white neck ring (in most populations), and a coppery, richly patterned body trailing a very long, pointed, barred tail. Females are mottled brown and buff overall, providing camouflage while nesting, with a shorter tail than the male.

Key field marks

• Male: glossy green head, red facial wattles, often a white neck ring, coppery-brown body, very long pointed tail
• Female: mottled brown, streaky, cryptic plumage with a moderately long pointed tail (shorter than the male's)
• Explosive, noisy flush from cover with rapid wingbeats followed by a glide

Similar species

No native North American bird resembles the male; females can suggest a young turkey or grouse but are distinguished by their long, pointed tail and smaller size.

Habitat and Range

Ring-necked Pheasants favor open agricultural land, grasslands, weedy field margins, hedgerows, and marsh edges that provide both feeding areas and dense cover for nesting and roosting.

Range

Native to Asia, the species was introduced to North America in the late 1800s and is now established across the northern and central United States and southern Canada, especially in the Midwest grain belt.

Migration

They are non-migratory, remaining year-round on relatively small home ranges, though they may move short distances to find winter cover during harsh weather.

Behavior

Pheasants typically walk or run through cover and prefer to escape danger on foot, but flush explosively when pressed, with loud wingbeats and a startling call.

Voice

The male's advertising call is a loud, harsh, two-syllable crow ("kork-kok") followed by a burst of whirring wingbeats, often given from an open perch or the ground.

Feeding

They feed on the ground, taking waste grain, seeds, and insects, and are strongly associated with agricultural crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans.

Nesting and breeding

Males are polygynous, mating with several hens within a territory. The hen builds a shallow, grass-lined scrape hidden in dense vegetation and incubates a clutch of about 10-12 eggs alone.