Page 50 - 2020 Jan/Feb Outdoor Oklahoma

Watchable Wildlife
The Ring-necked Pheasant by Don P. Brown, Information and Education Specialist

O K L A H O M A’ S
Watchable Wildlife

THE RI NG-N ECK ED P HEASAN T
BY DON P. BROW N, I N FORM ATION AN D EDUCATION SPECI A LIST

The ring-necked pheasant is familiar to Oklahomans as this and defends it from trespass by other males. Hens are free to come
state’s most colorful game bird. and go at will and are courted by the males as they enter territories.
Pheasants are native to the Old World, mainly the Asian coun- Cocks harvested during hunting season do not affect the repro-
tries. The Chinese ring-necked pheasant, and hybrids with other duction in a pheasant population because one male can easily manage
races, were successfully introduced into the United States in the a harem of a dozen or more females. Even when numbers of each sex
1880s. Through natural and artificial reproduction and release, the are nearly equal, there are usually several hens to a cock, but some
birds have established and expanded their range. males remain single.
Unlike some exotics, pheasants have thrived in this country Crowing is the territorial call of the male. The call may attract
with no ill effects on native wildlife. hens and warn other males against tres-
The pheasant has been most
The pheasant has been most successful passing. It is comprised of two syllables:
in areas where extensive cultivation and successful in areas where a long note followed by a short one. The
clean farming practices have made it dif- call is followed by six to eight wing claps
extensive cultivation and
ficult for other game to survive. that can be heard a short distance away.
The typical cock pheasant has a blue- clean farming practices When the cock courts the hen, it struts
green head and distinctive white collar in front of the hen with short rapid steps,
have made it difficult for
that gives the ring-necked pheasant its displaying its colorful plumage.
other game to survive.
name. The rest of the cock’s plumage is a Cock pheasants are not the least bit
varied pattern of iridescent colors: blue, green, red, burnished copper, interested in family life. The hen hatches and rears the young alone.
yellow and white. The gold-hued tail feathers are quite long, pointed She builds a nest on the ground in fields of hay or grain, fencerows
and barred with black. or other suitable cover. It is simply a slight hollow in the ground,
The hen is smaller, averaging slightly more than 2 pounds com- scantily lined with vegetation. Up to 15 brownish-olive eggs are laid
pared to the cock’s average of 2.75 pounds. The hen’s plumage is a and incubated from 23 to 25 days.
mixture of brown, buff and black. She also has pointed tail feathers, Newly hatched pheasant chicks are active as soon as they are dry.
but they are not as long as the male’s. The female leads them away from the nest, and they begin learning
When alarmed, the well-camouflaged hens generally choose to to find food. By the time they are two weeks old, they have some
remain hidden. Cocks depend on escape by running or flying, their wing feathers and can fly short distances.
takeoff accompanied by a loud whirring of wings. In five or six weeks the chicks are fully feathered. By late fall, the
In fall and winter, pheasants are found in flocks that may consist young pheasants have traded juvenile feathers for their first winter
of cocks, hens or both. Flocks break up in early spring as the cocks plumage and are nearly adult in appearance.
disperse and establish crowing territories. An inconspicuous patch Grain, weed seed, wild fruits and berries make up the bulk of a
of bare reddish skin around the cock’s eyes begins to enlarge. By pheasant’s diet. Also included in the bird’s fare are some insects and
mating season, both sides of the head are covered with a brilliant vegetative materials.
red wattle. Oklahoma is on the southern fringe of the pheasant’s range. The
Individual boundaries of crowing territories are not exact or per- birds are found in western and northwestern counties, especially in
manent, but each cock regards a particular area as private property the intensively farmed areas of the Panhandle.

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