Ring-necked Pheasant

Overview

Ring-necked Pheasant: Large, chicken-like pheasant with metallic-brown body, iridescent green head, white neck ring, and bright red eye patch and wattles. The tail is very long and pointed. It was first introduced to California from Asia as a game bird in 1857. Very popular bird for hunting.

Range and Habitat

Ring-necked Pheasant: Native to Asia; introduced to British Columbia, Alberta, Minnesota, Ontario, and Maritime Provinces south to central California, Oklahoma, and Maryland. Preferred habitats include farmlands, pastures, and grassy woodland edges.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Ring-necked Pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota.
Ring-necked Pheasants are able to stay on a roost for several days without eating if the weather is very bad.
Breeding males will keep other males away from a small group of females during the breeding season. This practice is known as "harem-defense polygyny."
A group of pheasants has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "brace", "plume", "plump", and "trip" of pheasants.

The Ring-necked Pheasant is the state bird for South Dakota in the United States. It is a popular game bird, and is a subspecies of the Common Pheasant. However, this bird is native to Asia; it has only been introduced in other areas of the world. It will sometimes form loose flocks when not in breeding season. Diets consist of fruit, seeds, leaves, invertebrates, and small vertebrates such as snakes, lizards, small mammals and birds. Nests are built on the ground, but hens find shelter in trees at night when not roosting. The conservation rating for this bird is Least Concern.