Ring-Necked Pheasant

large colorful bird in grass
Scientific Name
Phasianus colchicus
Family
Phasianidae (partridges, grouse, turkeys, Old World quail) in the order Galliformes
Description

The ring-necked pheasant is long-tailed and chickenlike. It is native to Asia and has been introduced to North America. The adult male is an iridescent mix of bronze, green, and black, with a red fleshy patch of skin around the eye and usually a white ring around the neck. The female is brown with a pointed tail, not rounded as in grouse and prairie-chickens. The voice of the male is a harsh two-syllable SCAA-konk; the hen’s is a soft keea, keea.

Similar species: The greater prairie-chicken, a state-endangered species native to Missouri’s prairies, is also chickenlike but has a much shorter tail and more strongly barred coloration.

Size

Length: 32 inches (tip of bill to tip of tail).

Where To Find
Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution Map

Found only in about the northern quarter of Missouri, and in the Bootheel region.

Pheasants use a wide range of habitat types such as hayfields, pastures, idle grasslands, wetlands, and lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. They prefer places with undisturbed dense vegetation 9–17 inches tall associated with brush, shrubs, and trees within a quarter of a mile of a grain source for food, and where about 50 percent of the land is in cultivation.

Attempts to establish huntable populations of this introduced gamebird in Missouri have had only limited success. The introduction of the ring-necked pheasant has been successful in portions of northern Missouri and poor to unsuccessful in other part of the state.

In fall and winter, pheasants eat grain and other seeds, leaves, roots, berries, nuts, and some insects.

In spring and summer, during breeding season, they need more protein to support egg production and the extra activity of courting, mating, and nesting. At that time, they eat more insects and other small animals, and more green leafy materials.

Like other gallinaceous (chickenlike) birds, pheasants mostly feed on the ground, scratching, digging, and pecking as they forage. Corn, milo, and soybeans are important sources of food during the fall, winter, and spring. Berries and the seeds of weeds are also important food sources, but pheasants are rarely found in areas without access to agricultural crops. 

Nonnative. Introduced to North America in the 1880s. In Missouri, an uncommon permanent resident in the northern Glaciated Plains and rare in the central part of the Mississippi Lowlands.

Males (cocks) perform mating displays in spring to attract females (hens) to their territory, giving a loud, harsh, two-syllable call followed by a softer whir of flapping wings that can be heard if one is close enough. These advertisements may attract several hens. Cocks frequently have several hens with which they mate. The cocks’ territorial displays can be heard most often in the spring, but they may crow throughout the year. 

Egg laying can begin as early as March but usually begins in mid- to late April, with peak hatch occurring in June. Nests are made on the ground, and 7–15 eggs are typical in a clutch. The eggs hatch in 23 days, and the precocial young can leave the nest in just a few hours. 

Originally from Asia, pheasants can be bred in captivity and have been introduced in many countries as a gamebird. They were introduced into North America in the late 1800s and have become well established throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. The Romans were some of the first to introduce it to Europe. It’s very popular in Great Britain. And although it’s not native there, it’s the official state bird of South Dakota, where nearly a million pheasants are harvested annually.

Pheasant hunting is a benefit to the economics of small communities throughout Missouri where hunters arrive in the fall with their bird dogs in tow, spending money on licenses, at businesses, and on fuel in pursuit of harvesting this beautiful bird.  

Pheasants, chickens, grouse, quail, and other ground-dwelling relatives evade their many predators by making sudden, explosive bursts of flight. Their short, blunt, deeply cupped wings are perfect for short, quick distances. Their wing shape and flying muscles are inefficient for long flights. They benefit the ecosystem by helping to control insect populations and serving as food for other animals. 

Pheasants can negatively impact prairie-chickens in fragmented habitats because male pheasants can be aggressive. Females sometimes lay their eggs in other birds' nests, causing their own clutches to fail. 

Media Gallery
large colorful bird in grass
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
1/10
Photo of a female ring-necked pheasant in flight.
The female ring-necked pheasant is brown with a pointed tail, not rounded as in grouse and prairie-chickens.
Jim Rathert
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
2/10
Photo of male ring-necked pheasant, closeup of head.
The adult male ring-necked pheasant has a red fleshy patch of skin around the eye and usually a white ring around the neck.
Jim Rathert
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
3/10
Photo of a male ring-necked pheasant walking on the ground.
In fall and winter, pheasants eat grain and other seeds, leaves, roots, berries, nuts, and some insects.
Noppadol Paothong
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
4/10
Photo of three ring-necked pheasants running at Squaw Creek refuge.
The ring-necked pheasant is often spotted running across roads and through open areas.
David Stonner
Photo by David Stonner, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
5/10
Photo of a man releasing two ring-necked pheasant cocks into a field.
Originally from Asia, pheasants have been introduced in many countries, including the United States, as a gamebird.
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
6/10
Photo of three immature ring-necked pheasants in a grassy field.
Attempts to establish huntable populations of ring-necked pheasants in Missouri have had only limited success.
Noppadol Paothong
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
7/10
Photo of a male ring-necked pheasant walking across a gravel road.
The cock pheasant's crowing calls can be heard most often in the spring, but they may call throughout the year.
Jim Rathert
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
8/10
Photo of a ring-necked pheasant, immature male.
The fleshy red patches around the eyes show that this immature ring-necked pheasant is a young male.
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
9/10
Photo of a ring-necked pheasant cock in flight.
Pheasants and their relatives evade predators by making sudden, explosive bursts of flight.
Jim Rathert
Photo by Jim Rathert, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
10/10
large colorful bird in grass
Photo of a female ring-necked pheasant in flight.
Photo of male ring-necked pheasant, closeup of head.
Photo of a male ring-necked pheasant walking on the ground.
Photo of three ring-necked pheasants running at Squaw Creek refuge.
Photo of a man releasing two ring-necked pheasant cocks into a field.
Photo of three immature ring-necked pheasants in a grassy field.
Photo of a male ring-necked pheasant walking across a gravel road.
Photo of a ring-necked pheasant, immature male.
Photo of a ring-necked pheasant cock in flight.
Similar Species

Where to See Species

Open field on Aspinwall Bend CA
Aspinwall Bend
The United States Army Corps of Engineers has purchased this area as part of the Missouri River Mitigation Project.
Prairie at Bilby Ranch CA
Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area
Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area is in Nodaway County. Purchased by the Conservation Department in 1987, this tract was once part of a large ranch owned by J. S.
About Birds in Missouri

About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.

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