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.
 


RING-NECKED PHEASANT
Phasianus colchicus
GALLIFORMES
Turkeys and Grouse (Phasianidae)

Range and Habitat

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.

SOUND: "caw-cawk"

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."
The Ring-necked Pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota.
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.