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Pheasants
are Asian natives that were first successfully introduced into the U.S.
in the late 1800s and early 1900s. 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.
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.
Male pheasants
are polygamous, that is, they mate with more than one female. 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 size of a cock’s harem (group of females) varies with
the number of hens in the vicinity.The
hen builds her nest on the ground in grass, alfalfa, and other low vegetation.
Hay fields and pastures are favorite nesting areas. The hen lays her clutch
of about 12 eggs in a period of two weeks. After an incubation period
of about 23 days chicks hatch and are ready to leave the nest as soon
as their feathers dry off. They stay near the hen for the next several
weeks. Young pheasants grow quickly, resembling adults by 15 weeks of
age.
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