Hear a story about the ring-necked pheasant.
Hear a ring-necked pheasant.

adapted from The Birds of Texas
by John L. Tveten

The ring-necked pheasant has traveled a long and tortuous route from its Asian homeland to the prairies and farmlands of the United States. Today it is a popular game bird in many of the northern and western states and even serves as the state bird of South Dakota. It has become a naturalized resident of the Texas Panhandle, but the population has been declining in recent years.

A ring-necked pheasant hen.

The large, gaudy rooster is unmistakable in its glossy bronze plumage marked with black, brown and green. The iridescent green head has fleshy red wattles around the eyes and feathered "ear" tufts, and there is usually a white ring around the neck. The long, pointed tail feathers give it an overall length of nearly three feet. Smaller and duller, the hen is buffy brown, with a shorter tail than her mate. The hen could be confused with the prairie-chicken, but the latter has an even shorter, square-tipped tail.

Pheasants feed in grain fields and weedy pastures and seek cover along overgrown fencerows and among the weeds and grasses of sloughs and creek beds. The hen lays 6 to 15 olive-colored eggs in a grass-lined nest hidden in the long grasses. They often assemble in small flocks during the fall and winter month before separating again for the nesting season. Flushed from cover, they rise in a roar of wings with hoarse, cackling alarm calls. They are strong flyers, but do not travel far.

The ring-necked pheasant was introduced into Europe from Asia by the ancient Greeks and Romans and may have reached Britain by the 11th century. Unsuccessful attempts to introduce it to America began as early as the 1730's, but it wasn't until the 1880's, when several dozen birds from China were released in Oregon, that the species gained a foothold in North America. Since that time, many state game agencies have introduced pheasants for hunting purposes.

In Texas, the ring-necked pheasant inhabits portions of the Panhandle, but populations are on the decline. Biologists believe the major cause to be the replacement of irrigated crops like corn and milo with dryland wheat and other grains. In addition, recent dry weather has resulted in egg failures and low nesting success as well as crop failures and reduced food resources. Some studies also suggest that Texas is too hot and dry to allow pheasant eggs to hatch properly.

More Facts... Pheasants are members of the Phasianidae family that includes grouse, turkeys, partridges and prairie chickens. None of the Old World pheasants are native to America. The family includes both game birds and domestic fowl. They are chicken-like, ground dwelling birds with short, strong bills that feed primarily on seeds, berries, insects and buds. New World quail were once part of this family, but are now in a family of their own - Odontophoridae.

More Links USGS website with photos and scientific data on the ring-necked pheasant. Colorful photos and information on the pheasant from the Desert USA website. Read more about the ring-necked pheasant on the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center website.