Ring-Neck Pheasant
Introduction
For this week’s blog post
I wanted to write about one of the more beautiful birds that can be found in Pennsylvania,
the ring-neck pheasant.
Ring-neck Pheasants in my Backyard
The ring-neck pheasant
also known as the common pheasant is one of the less common visitors to my
backyard. I normally see this bird once every few years during the fall and
winter months. In total I have had three different sighting of ring-neck
pheasants in my backyard.
One of the sightings occurred
at the edge of my backyard. A single male pheasant walked out of the corn
field. I was able to watch him for a few minutes until he disappeared into the
woods. The second sighting was the longest and most interesting. A male and
female ring-neck pheasant came to the bird feeder and started eating the bird
seeds I leave out for species of ground birds. I was able to watch these birds
eat for about half an hour. The shortest and most recent sighting occurred when
I was driving home from work. I briefly saw a male ring-neck pheasant walking
out of the creek in front of my home.
Photo credit Matt Bell 2017 Ring-neck Pheasant Facts
The ring-neck pheasant is
not native to the United States. In 1881 the ring-neck pheasant was introduced to
the United States mainly as a game bird. The ring-neck pheasant is originally
from Asia. Normally, when species are introduced to a new area, they become a
pest or cannot adapted to their new habitat and die. The ring-neck pheasant has
become neither of these things. In fact the ring-neck pheasant has become a
grand addition to the Pennsylvania wilderness.
Ring-neck Pheasants in
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania the
ring-neck pheasant is common throughout every season. 1915 was the year the
Pennsylvania Game Commission started introducing ring-neck pheasants into the
Pennsylvania wilderness. The Pennsylvania ring-neck pheasant population reached
its peak in the 1970s with the pheasant population numbering in the millions.
Sadly, in recent years, the Pennsylvania pheasant population has decreased. The
main cause of this is changing farm practices, land changes, and habitat loss
that has occurred throughout the state.
Since the ring-neck
pheasant is a popular game bird, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is constantly
releasing new birds into the wild for sport hunting. In the year 2016, 240,000
pheasants were released into the wild. The fact that new birds are always
getting released, and the fact that the pheasant is a game bird makes
estimating the present Pennsylvania ring-neck pheasant population difficult.
Ring-neck Pheasant Subspecies
There are actually 30
subspecies of ring-neck pheasants divided into six different groups. Most of
these groups can be identified by the plumage on the male birds. The main
identification marks are the color of the upper-tail, wing coverts, and absence
or presence of a white ring around the pheasant’s neck. Many of these subspecies are only native to
Asia. The Chinese ring-necked pheasants is the species that was introduced to
the American wilderness.
Habitat
Ring-necked pheasants can
mainly be found in woodland edges, farmland with tall crops, hedgerows, and
meadows with tall vegetation. Ring-neck pheasants also prefer areas with access
to water, and are less common in dry places.
Diet
The ring-neck pheasants
is an omnivore which mostly feeds on the ground. The pheasant will use its bill
or feet to dig up the ground to uncover food. A pheasant’s normal diet is
berries, seeds, buds, grains, insects, and earthworms. On rare occasions the
pheasant may also eat larger creatures like frogs, lizards, snakes, and even
rodents.
Grooming
Ring-neck pheasants take
dust baths to remove old feather, oil, parasites, and dirt. The pheasant will
shake his wings and scratch at the ground to brush sand and dust on himself.
Pheasants will also lay on their sides and rub their heads in the dust.
Flight
Ring-neck pheasants prefer
to run or walk. Normally, pheasants only fly when a predator gets too close,
and the bird needs to escape quickly. Ring-neck pheasants are only capable of
short flights of about 600 feet per flight. If strong winds are occurring, the
range a ring-neck pheasant can fly is greatly increased. The average pheasant
flight speed is between 38 and 48 mph. If a pheasant is getting chased by a
predator it can reach speeds of up to 60 mph.
Photo credit Lukasz Lukasik
Male Ring-neck Pheasant
A male pheasant normally
creates breeding territories in the early spring. A male ring-neck pheasant will
normally mate with several different females. These females live together in small
breeding groups on the territory controlled by the male pheasant.
The male pheasant defends
his territory by momentarily drumming with his wings, and crowing loudly. The
male will also tear up and toss grass around as he approaches the intruder with
his tail and head straighten. If these threat displays fail to scare away the
intruder, sometimes physical combat will occur between the two birds. In physical
combat the combatants get breast to breast and start biting at each other. The
birds will use spurs, claws, and bills during fights. These fights are hardly
ever fatal, and normally end with the challenging bird fleeing shortly after
the fight begins.
Photo Credit Andy Vernon
Female Ring-neck Pheasant
The female ring-neck pheasant
is called a hen. The female pheasant is a less attractive bird then the male.
Her color pattern is only a light brown. This lack of attractive color serves a
purpose, however. The brown feathers makes it easier for her to blend into the
wilderness. This keeps her and any chicks she has safer from harm, then the
brightly colored male.
Nest
A ring-neck pheasant's
nest is known as a nide. A normal nest has 10 to 12 plain olive or in some
cases pale blue eggs. The hen incubates the eggs for about 23 days. Shortly
after hatching the chicks are old enough to leave the nest, and search for food
with the hen. The chicks remain with the female for 10 to 12 weeks and are able
to fly short distances in 12 days. Most ring-neck pheasant’s nests are built on
areas with think ground cover. The nest is built on the ground, and created by
the female using materials like grass, leaves, corn husks, and twigs. The size
of the average nest is three inches deep, and seven inches across.
Conclusion
The ring-neck pheasant is
a beautiful bird that can be seen walking across the meadows and corn fields of
Pennsylvania. The males unique and bright color patterns will make this bird easily
recognizable if spotted. Join me next time as we explore wildlife in my
backyard and other nature topics.
Reference Websites and Additional Resources
Audubon. (2017). Ring-necked Pheasant. Retrieved from
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/ring-necked-pheasant
Cornell University.
(2017). Ring-necked Pheasant. Retrieved from
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Pheasant/id
CT.Gov. (2017).
Ring-necked Pheasant. Retrieved from
http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=326060
Pennsylvania Game
Commission. (2017). Ring-necked Pheasant. Retrieved from
http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Education/WildlifeNotesIndex/Pages/Ring-neckedPheasant.aspx
Photo Credit and References
Andy Vernon -
originally posted to Flickr as Pheasant, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8653034
H. Jones - A Monograph
of the Pheasants, volume 3 by William Beebe, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32115206
Lukasz Lukasik CC
BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=629699
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