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Ringneck Pheasant Facts And Information

Flight speed: 38-48 mph
Habitat: grasslands, wetlands, and brushy areas interspersed with agriculture
Foods: waste grains and weed seeds
Life expectancy: 70% annual mortality rate; 2-3% of population lives to age 3
Nests: usually shallow, scratched-out depression in the ground lined with grass or leaves
Number broods per year: 1; will renest up to 4 times
Weight: males 41-46 oz; females 31-34 oz
Length: 30”-36”

Identification

Pheasants are long-tailed, seed-eating, chicken-like gamebirds. Male pheasants, “roosters or cocks” are brilliantly colored with a combination of russet, copper, brown, gray and black on the body, iridescent dark green on the neck, and bright red wattles on the head. A white neck ring is present on most males. In contrast, females or “hens” are light brown with black flecking on each feather. Newly hatched chicks are covered with soft buff-colored down with dark markings on the head and back, and weigh about a half an ounce. Juveniles of both sexes, up to 10 weeks old, resemble females in color, and by 16 weeks of age, they are almost indistinguishable from adults. Adult males weigh about 2 ¾ pounds and females about 2 pounds. Cock pheasants have spurs on their legs that increase in length, as they grow older The spurs on juvenile males are generally less than 3/8 of an inch in length; spurs on old males may be almost an inch long.

Reproduction

Increasing day length triggers reproductive activity among pheasants. Cock pheasants begin crowing, fighting, and establishing breeding territories to attract hens in early March. Pheasants are polygamous, meaning one male will breed many hens. Pheasants do not form pair bonds. Pen studies indicate hens can continue to lay fertile eggs for three weeks after a single mating, and one cock is capable of mating with 50 hens with no loss of fertility. Nesting can begin as early as March in southern Iowa, but egg laying usually begins in mid to late April, peak incubation occurs in May, and peak hatch is usually early to mid June. Only the hen takes part in nesting and incubation.

Hens conceal their nests in dense, erect grassy vegetation at least 8 to 10 inches tall. The nest bowl consists of a shallow, scratched-out depression in the ground that is lined with grass or leaves. Hens lay about an egg a day and first nests usually have 10 to 12 eggs. The eggs hatch in about 23 days. A complete nesting cycle from laying to hatch takes about 37 days. The young chicks hatch covered in down (precoccial) and can leave the nest and follow the hen within a few hours of hatching. Young can make short flights at 12-14 days of age and resemble adults by 16 weeks of age. Pheasant hens are persistent renesters, meaning they will initiate new nests if their existing nest is destroyed. This is why many people report seeing different age broods during the summer. This is also why many people think pheasants produce more that one brood per year. However, research has shown that hen’s only hatch one nest per year; older broods are from first nests and younger broods are from renests. Because of the hen’s persistence and large clutch size, pheasant populations in Iowa can double or triple in a single season given proper weather and spring habitat.

Food Habits

Because of their rapid growth rate, the diet of young chicks is comprised almost entirely of protein from insects, spiders, slugs and other invertebrates until six weeks of age. Seeds and other plant materials become more important in the diet of, older birds. Corn and soybeans are very important fall, winter and spring foods. Weed seeds, berries and green vegetation also are consumed, but pheasants are seldom found in areas where they do not have easy access to agricultural crops. Pheasants can meet their daily water requirements through daily feeding activities, thus water is not required.