Phasianus colchicus
The spectacular Ring-necked Pheasant was introduced into North America from Asia in the mid-1800s. Many other gamebirds have also been introduced, but few have become as widespread, successful and tolerant of climatic conditions as this familiar bird. In winter, pheasants often segregate into small groups of males and larger flocks of females. Pheasants are not strong long-distance flyers, but they are powerful over short distances. They use their explosive bursts to fly over short open areas or quickly escape from predators, not outdistance them. The flight muscles of many gamebirds have few oxygen-carrying compounds and are not well developed for sustained flight. Because of the lack of these compounds, the breast muscles of pheasants are light in color, compared to the dark color of the continually working muscles in their legs. |
I.D.: General: long tail; unfeathered legs. Male: green head; white collar; bronze underparts; naked red face patch. Female: mottled brown overall; light underparts. Size: Male: L 30-36 in. (76-91 cm). Female: L 20-26 in. (51-66 cm). Range: uncommon to common resident in valleys in the northern U.S. Rockies; rare to uncommon elsewhere in the Rockies. Habitat: grasslands, pastures, ditches, agricultural lands, fields and occasionally croplands; rarely into the foothills. Nesting: typically on the Great Plains; on the ground, among grass or sparse vegetation or next to a log or other natural debris; in a slight depression lined with grass and leaves; female incubates 10-12 eggs for up to 25 days. Feeding: Summer: gleans the ground and vegetation for weed seeds and terrestrial insects. Winter: eats mainly buds and seeds. Voice: loud, raspy, rooster-like caw-caak or ca-ca, mostly by the male. Similar Species: male is distinctive. Sharp-tailed Grouse: female is smaller and has a shorter tail. Ruffed Grouse: female is smaller and has a fan-shaped tail. Blue Grouse: female has a shorter tail, feathered legs and is grayer in color. |
