Ring-necked Pheasant
The
Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colhicus) is a familiar sight in
rural north central and northwest Oklahoma. Although not
indigenous to the United States, this Asian native was
successfully introduced in 1857. Now pheasants are found from
New England to California, and are well established as a popular
game species in many states, including the Sooner State.
Both sexes have stout, yellowish beaks and short, rounded wings
– but few other similarities. The showy males, called cocks or
roosters, may be quickly distinguished by their handsome, glossy
plumage and long, pointed tails that may be more than 20 inches
in length. The head and neck are iridescent blue-green or
purple, separated from the rest of the body by the conspicuous
white collar from which the species gets its name. Males, which
may weigh more than 2-1/2 pounds, are further characterized by
bright red patches of bare skin on the cheeks, which form
wattles below the eyes. Feathers along the sides of head are
long and form an erectile double crest that resembles ears or
horns. Finally, males are noted for the multiple hues and
patterns on their body and wing feathers, and the spurs on the
backs of their bare legs.
Females called hens, while still beautiful by other standard,
and are drab compared to their mates. Their coloration is a
simple combination of light and dark browns, with a shorter tail
and no head crest. Hens weigh approximately two pounds.
Pheasants prefer cultivated farmland habitat mixed with weedy
fencerows, ditches and corners. Although they are swift runners
and prefer to travel overland, when flushed these birds
generally fly toward timber of thick brush for escape cover.
However, pheasants are commonly seen out in wide-open fields
where they feed on waste grains and weed seeds. Insects,
especially grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars, compose the
remainder of their diet.
Beginning in early spring, cocks begin courtship by strutting
for females. The ear tufts are raised and the bare skin on the
heads becomes engorged and brilliant red. Males establish
crowing territories with a bantam-like “knock-ack”! followed by a
loud clapping of wings. Males often fight each other – with
fights lasting until one runs away or is completely exhausted
and beaten. The dominant male will have earned the right to
breed with the on looking female, and during the breeding season
may mate with two, three, four or more hens.
Hens usually establish nest sites within the male’s crowing
territory, which may cover a few acres. Nests are located in
cover, on ground in a shallow depression lined with bits of
grass and weeds. Ten to 12 dark green-buff or rich brown-olive
eggs are laid and incubated by the female (cocks occasionally
incubate eggs too). Sometimes larger clutches may be seen, which
are usually the result of two hens using the same nest.
Pheasants also will lay in the nests of ducks, quail, turkeys,
domestic chickens and other birds.
After 23-25 days of incubation chicks are hatched and are able
to walk and run almost immediately. The young develop quickly
and are able to fly short distances at only seven days of age.
They remain with the female, and occasionally with the adult
pair, for several weeks. Hens use the “cripple bird” act to lure
predators away from the young. When danger has passed, one or
both parents gather the brood and resume helping them find food
and sheltering them from the cold or wet weather.
The average life span for ring necks is remarkably short. Many
young do not live beyond October 1, and the average adult male
live only 10 months. Females live about 20 months. The maximum
age, estimated from a single bird kept in a zoo, is about six
years.
Several myths surround the ring-necked pheasant. An old belief
that these birds feed heavily on quail chicks is completely
unfounded.
And there are many explanations of why pheasant introductions
have never taken in eastern central and southern Oklahoma.
Chiggers, mites, weather patterns, agricultural practices and
soil chemistry have all been suspected but as yet there is no
biological evidence to support any of these claims.