Ring-necked Pheasant

Ample amounts of information are available on the Ring-necked Pheasant aka Common Pheasants (Phasianus Colchicus), as they are among some of the most extensively studied avian species. Native to Asia and parts of Europe, these birds were originally shy forest birds.

About Ring-necked Pheasants

As Pheasants are relatively lower down on the food chain, they are often tucked away obscured amidst patches of vegetation but do not mistake them to be cowering little creatures. Pheasants are known for their athlete-style powerful musculature that allows them to make a speedy dash across the bare ground and also take off in brief bursts of flight. Nabbing a pheasant takes a good amount of spright and agility, garnering them popularity as game birds and so they came to be introduced into the open countrysides of England and North America.

Despite being hardy birds, these hunted birds have short lifespans as they are in peril right from the time they’re just embryos in an egg. They are strong, magnificent creatures, the males more so as they boast a gorgeous iridescent plumage. This article is a succinct account of the fascinating nature of Ring-necked Pheasants, including vivid details about their appearance and their behavioral quirks which will make it easy for you to spot them and truly appreciate nature’s handiwork in enabling every species’ fight for survival.

● Ring-necked Pheasants Photos, Color Pattern, Song
●Ring-necked Pheasants Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
●Ring-necked Pheasants Range and Migration, Nesting

GET KIDS BIRD WATCHING

Ring-necked Pheasant Color Pattern

Ring-necked Pheasants have strong sexual dimorphism with the males being the vibrant eye-catchers, while the females and juveniles are relatively drab. Male Ringnecks features a distinct white ringed collar around their necks
demarcating the head and the body. Their heads are iridescent blue-green with a bright red wattle.

The area around their eyes is also a bright red patch of red skin. Beyond the white-collar, their upper back (mantle) is a brilliant ombre going from a rich copper red to deep violet. The ends of these feathers narrow down and bear a central black dot at their tips. Their lower back feathers are also copper red, but they end in a glossy violet with occasional black U-shaped marks.

The Ring-necked Pheasant’s rump is a fluffy dense collection of copper red, emerald green, or shiny violet feathers that hang out like a fringe with a few buff-brown upper tail coverts. Their breasts are copper orange with tips of purple-blue, and when these males strut around, they puffed out their chests flash purple-pink in the light. They have long tails buff-brown in the middle with evenly spaced bars, and uniform copper-red sides with purple-pink gloss.

The females have plumes and simple black feathers at the crown. They have a broad streak over their eyes, nape, chin, and their neck has pink buff feathers with black flecks. Their back feathers are chestnut with black U marks close to their edges, while their bases are soft cinnamon buff. The Ring-necked Pheasant’s has a pointed tail made up of feathers that are longer versions of the ones on their backs, along with some even bars. Their upper breasts are cinnamon, their lower breasts have brown speckes, and their flanks are pink with little black speckes.

Among the juveniles, the males and females are similar. Their overall appearance is tan which is built off a mottling of brown spots and bars. The females however have a more vinaceous red tone along the sides of their necks and interscapulars.

Description and Identification

Ring-necked Pheasants are large chicken-size birds, with plump bodies and fairly long legs. They have long pointed tails and long necks that support their small heads. The males are hard to miss, with their signature plumage.

Common Pheasants live across the globe because they adapt to climate with ease. They also relatively effortlessly breed in captivity. They commonly live amidst tall vegetation and in old fields, they hide well so they are hard to spot.

Keep an eye out for them sprinting to duck for cover, especially in agricultural areas. Winter makes it easier to spot these birds as the vegetation becomes sparse and their coat colors are easier to identify against the snow.

In spring and summer, keep your ears sharp in order to pick out the crowing calls of the males. You might see flashes of their bright plumage as they parade around open areas for their females. You can even bait these birds to your land as they feed off bird feeders.

These birds spend most of their time on the ground, so it’s rare to spot one in flight or in trees. You may confuse females with sharp tail Grouses, but the Grouse are smaller with shorter tails.

Ring-necked Pheasant Song

This species is voluble, they have an array of 16-24 calls, with distinction made by the males and females. A few calls however are common to both sexes, including the juvenile calls.

Juveniles communicate through adorable “ter-wits” or “ter-rits” when they’re warm or settling down to sleep at night. They make a loud gurgling “turreep” sound for caution. A repeated “tee-erp tee-erps” is a flock call for when scattered chicks attempt to reunite with their kin.

Incubating pheasant hens give off low-intensity prolonged mew calls which become more frequent towards the end of the incubation period. At times of distress, they emit sharp high pitch squeaks to sound alarmed, and this is often reciprocated by nearby males sounding their own alarm calls.

Short low pitched calls alarm her chicks, and they hide away in response. Sometimes these brood alarm calls are interspersed with brood gathering clucking “kee kee kee” to bring all her chicks together. Ring-necked Hens also sound a precopulatory call which is similar to a wail that begins once the males have mounted them and may continue till the end of copulation. They make these at any time of the day, but are more common in the early hours.

Males have 6-11 recognizable calls. Among these is the crowing frequently audible from distant fields during springtime in the countryside, especially at dusk and dawn. The Pheasant’s crowing is very similar to that of the domestic cock loud, harsh, and sudden but thicker voice. Young males begin crowing from seven weeks, but they only achieve the adult tonal quality at four months. These calls are territorial calls, and also to permeate their presence to nearby females. They have interindividual differences and this allows females to identify specific males.

A series of loud strangled “gogOk gogOk” similar to their crowing is sounded when the males are uneasy or excited. These are considered to signal warnings or even impending fights between two males. They make flight calls upon taking off for flight, and they last for variable durations as the bird flies along.

A low fluttering hiss is made by vibrating the retrices with the mandible closed when the males feel intimidated. During hostile interactions, the males emit a sound that’s like a growl. These are hoarse “krrrahs”, which change depending on the type of interaction that follows suit. They make a whistle-like “whirruu whirruu” during low-intensity face-to-face threats. Once the engagement gets heated, a louder disjointed “wher-r-u wher-r-u” is heard.

Ring-necked Pheasant Size

Males are larger, averaging 2-3 pounds and 24-35 inches, with about 20 inches of their length being their tail. The females weigh about two pounds. They are shorter than their male counterparts and also have shorter tails of about seven inches long. Their wingspans range from 22 to 24 inches.

Ring-necked Pheasant Behavior

Ringnecks spend most of their time on the ground and as a consequence have strong, powerful legs. They have a characteristic dignified strut during which they sometimes stop to look or listen. You can spot them pecking around
agricultural fields as they pick out worms and grain or running far off and fast at the slightest alarm.

These birds also fly in short bursts with heavy rapid strokes, and you can see them reaching up to roost on higher perches with a series of upward flutters. Their short rounded wings are capable of powerful wingbeats in rapid succession, serving as one of their go-to moves for quick escapes. They generally fly for short distances and occasional strong winds send them farther.

Preening activities commonly involve pecking, nibbling, head rubbing and scratching, and bill wiping. These birds also love daily dust baths which help remove oil, dirt, old feathers, sheaths of new feathers, and ectoparasites.

The birds are sociable but seen to be only loosely communal, forming their largest flocks in winter. They prefer to roost or sunbathe solely, with more than the adequate spacing between each individual.

Males are a relatively peaceful lot before breeding season. Once the season arrives, fiercely guarded territories are established and physical altercations occur if one of the involved males does not flee. The males fight dirty, fluttering up against each other clawing, using their bills, and attempting to bite off each other’s wattles. The victor usually chases off the loser of the battle, and you will find the loser abandoning site with his head hung low.

Aggression amongst females is rare, although it may occur rarely during the breeding season. Courtship displays amongst these pheasants are a dramatic affair. They have three different types of displays. The first one being a no-nonsense approach wherein the males walk right up to the females, alluring plumage, dignified strut et all. The second is a lateral display where the male walks a half-circle around the female sideways, spreading their tails and wings closest to her. Upon nearing her, they hold their heads low, their enchanting red wattles and auricles erect. Tidbitting is their version of ritualistic feeding during courtship, and here the males tilt their heads while beckoning the females to a tasty morsel of food.

This glamourous display culminates in large female harems that gather around for a lone/group of male pheasants. The males then rely on the generosity of the females, proceeding to inseminate as many females as are receptive.

Males harass other ground-nesting birds, such as the Gray Partridge and the Greater Prairie-Chicken. The females sometimes go lay their eggs in the nests of these birds too. Some believe that this habit has developed due to the raising of Pheasants and chickens close together, resulting in the birds falsely imprinting on each other.

Ring-necked Pheasant Diet

During fall and winter, the Ring Necks eat seeds, especially grain from farm fields as well as grasses, leaves, roots, wild fruits, and nuts. During the spring and summer, their diets remain similar but they consume more insects and fresh greenery. Their insect diet includes grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, crickets, and ants, and they also eat snails and earthworms. 

Ring-necked Pheasant Habitat

Look for Ring-necked Pheasants on farmlands especially fields that have grass ditches, hedges, marshes, woodland borders, and brushy groves. These birds also live in an impressive range of habitats. In Hawaii, for example, they can live from sea level to an 11,000 feet elevation. They can live in forests, grasslands, and deserts. They withstand severe winters by simply dormant for long periods of time.

Despite this versatility, Ring-necked Pheasants do gravitate to particular kinds of habitat for specific activities. Typically, they roost in trees or dense shrubs in spring and summer and in forested wetlands, farm fields, and weedy areas in fall. For early season nesting, they seek cover along grassy roadsides, fence lines, ditches, and wetlands. As the season progresses and vegetation grows taller and denser, they shift their nesting activity to fields of hay, particularly alfalfa.

Range and Migration

Ring-necked Pheasants are permanent residents, with extremely rare instances of observed migration. If comfortable, they may spend their entire life in an area less than 700 acres in size. They do not migrate long distances but occasionally switch between habitats for the summers and winters.

Ring-necked Pheasant Lifecycle

After successfully mating, females lay clutches of about seven to fifteen eggs. These eggs are usually olive-brown or pale blue and the female incubates them for a period of about twenty-five days. Once hatched, it is not long before the little hatchlings are capable of flying out of the nest with their mothers to food-rich areas where the chicks begin to feed themselves. Only females tend to their broods, and the males accompany them only on rare occasions. The juveniles stay close to their mother for about ten to twelve weeks, after which they begin to scour food independently as young adults and will soon be ready for mating in the next breeding season.

Pheasants generally have one brood per season, with few mentions of two. The pheasants have a lifespan of about three years in the wild, owing to the large number of predators that go after them. In captivity, they can live for up to twelve to eighteen years.

Nesting

The females are in charge of choosing the nesting site, and they usually pick sites that are close to their winter homes. Nesting is close to the ground, with the females relying on tall vegetation to obscure their nests. The nests are usually hollowed out spaces in the ground, about three inches deep, which may have occurred naturally or been scooped out by the females themselves.

Pheasant homes are modest, they line their little hollows by feathers they pluck from their mothers’ own breasts. They also use twigs, leaves, corn husks, and other plant material lying close to the nest to line the nests.

Anatomy of a Ring-necked Pheasant

Ring-necked Pheasants, just like most other members of the Grouse family, have powerful breast muscles. These muscles deliver bursts of power that allow the birds to escape trouble in a hurry, flushing nearly vertically into the air and reaching speeds of nearly forty miles per hour.

Their anatomy is adapted to suit the open country, with long strong legs that carry their chunky body at incredible speeds on land. Their wings on the other hand are short and round, capable of sustaining flight at low heights and only for brief periods of time. The birds are hardy with tough bills suited for pecking their food out of the ground and strong claws for digging and raking.

Final Thoughts

Pheasants are smart sturdy birds roughing it out there in the wild. They fall prey to a number of natural predators but humans have now emerged to be their most common predator as they are widely hunted for sport, meat, and feathers. Accidents with automobiles or agricultural machinery also contribute to Pheasant mortality. Despite all of this, the species continues to thrive and is thankfully not endangered, threatened, or a species of concern.

We can still help to make their lives just a bit easier by growing vegetation that provides cover, promoting hay cutting in July to minimize destruction of baby broods and nests, and making sure they are left with enough vegetation to brave the winters.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingRing-necked Pheasants

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Ring-necked Pheasants are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Ring-necked Pheasant Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Ring-necked Pheasant. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders ForRing-necked Pheasants

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird HousesForRing-necked Pheasants

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.