|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Upland birds are known for several traits which distinguish them from other birds. They are chicken-like in appearance, and have short, rounded wings, short heavy bills, and heavy bodies. They stay on dry ground and seek cover in brush or woodlands. Typically, these birds do not migrate, but adapt to seasonal changes.
Pheasants are Asian natives that were first successfully introduced into the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Agricultural land-use practices at the turn of the century were ideal for pheasants. As a result, pheasant numbers increased quickly and peaked in Ohio at approximately five million birds in the late 1930s and early 1940s. High populations persisted through the 1940s and 1950s with annual hunter harvests averaging around 750,000 cock pheasants.
Listen
|
|
Ring-necked Pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
At-a-Glance
• Mating: Polygynous
• Peak Breeding Activity: May through June.
• Incubation Period: 23 days
• Clutch Size: 6-18 eggs; 12 average Young are Hatched: May through September; peak of hatch is late June
• Young: Precocial; leave nest when down is dry. First flight at 10 days; resemble adults at 15 weeks
• Number of Broods per Year: 1; if first nest is disrupted, may renest and lay 8-10 eggs
• Feeding Periods: Mostly dawn and dusk
• Typical Foods: Seeds of corn, wheat, oats, soybeans, foxtail, smartweed, ragweed, buckwheat, grape, poison ivy, bittersweet, sumac, dogwood, wild plum, raspberry, and blackberry; also insects
|
|
Description
The cock (male) pheasant is a large, chicken-like bird with a bluish green head, a red cheek patch, and usually a white neck ring. The adult male has reddish brown back feathers that fade to bluish green on the lower back, and copper or maroon feathers on the breast. Wing feathers are reddish brown at the base of the wing, and lighter brown toward the tip. The adult hen is smaller than the cock. Feathers on the female are generally tan with brown and cream markings.
Habitat and Habits
The ringneck is a bird of agricultural edges, favoring soils rich in nutrients and organic matter. Pheasants thrive where farming is intensive if two major habitat requirements are met: adequate undisturbed cover for nesting, and sufficient food and cover for the critical winter period. During winter, pheasants usually concentrate near standing corn, brushy woodlots, dense field borders, and wetland edges. In spring, groups of birds disperse into more open, grassy and old field habitats adjacent to crop fields for breeding and summer brood rearing. Hens with broods move into fields with flowering plants, which attract protein-rich insects -- an important food source for growing chicks. Adult pheasants also consume insects in late summer and fall to prepare for the winter ahead.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
In the spring, cocks attract hens and warn other cocks to stay out of their territory by crowning a hoarse, two syllable Erk-erk. In his courtship display the cock pheasant will strut, spread his tail, and fluff out his feathers.
The hen builds her nest on the ground in grass, alfalfa, and other low vegetation. Hay fields and pastures are favorite nesting areas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|