Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Phasianus
Species: Phasianus colchicus

Size: 50-70 cm (20-28 in)
Wingspan: 56-86 cm (22-34 in)
Weight: 500-3000 g (17.65-105.9 ounces)
Medium to large chicken-like bird.
Long tail, often held cocked up at an angle.
Wings rather long and rounded in flight.

Green head
Pale bill
Face red and bare
White ring around neck
Golden plumage with bluish and
greenish iridescence and black
spots scattered throughout body
Long, pointed golden tail feathers
with black barring
Spurred legs
Buffy brown head and
underparts
Dark brown back with paler
edgings and centers
Black spots and bars
scattered about head, neck
and flanks
Long, buff-brown, pointed
tail
Lacks spurs
In very bad weather, pheasants
are known to stay on a roost for
several days without eating.
Pheasants practice "harem-
defense polygyny" where one
male keeps other males away
from a small group of females
during the breeding season.
Across the native range, about 34
races of the species are
recognized. The Green Pheasant
race is sometimes considered a
different species. Multiple
introductions of different races
have been made in North
America.

Pheasants are usually found in
areas with a mixture of grain
fields, grasslands, and
woodlands

They feed on a variety of
seeds, insects, and berries


However, the majority of their
diet consists of corn, wheat,
oats, barley, and buckwheat



Pheasants are polygynous
Starting in March, the males begin
claiming their territories by
crowing at its boundaries
In April, successful males will mate
with several females
After mating, the female then looks
for a nesting site in preparation of
laying her eggs

Nests are well concealed
usually in tall grass, and made
up of leaves, grass, and breast
feathers

10 to 12 eggs are laid in total,
but only one at a time

Incubation begins after all
eggs are laid

Eggs will hatch after 21 to 24
days of incubation

One brood of young is raised
per year

The new chicks are precocial
(relatively mature and mobile)

90% of a new chicks diet can
be insects, rich in protein

At two weeks of age chicks
can make short flights, and
reach adult size by October or
November

On March 13, 1881, around 60
Chinese Ring-necked Pheasants
arrived in Port Townsend aboard
the ship Otago
The United States consul general
Owen Nickerson Denny and his
wife Gertrude Jane Hall Denny
had these birds along with other
Chinese birds and plants shipped
from Shanghai in hopes of
establishing a population in their
home state of Oregon
Owen N. and Gertrude
Hall Denny
Since they were living in
Shanghai, the Dennys were
unsure how the birds were
doing on Sauvie Island near
Portland, and decided to send
more pheasants

In 1882, the Dennys sent more
Ring-necked Pheasants and
other Chinese birds directly to
Portland

Owens brother John Denny
released those near the familys
Willamette Valley homestead in
Linn County
Within that year, the pheasants
had spread to surrounding
countries and since Denny had
political connections, he won
over the state legislation
banning hunting until the
population was sufficiently
established

It wasnt until 1892 that the
first pheasant season took
place

Hunters reportedly bagged
50,000 birds the first day

More birds came over from a third shipment when the Dennys
returned from China in 1884
These were released on Protection Island, not far from Port
Townsend where the first pheasants landed three years earlier
They flourished and had succeeded into crossing into the Strait
of Juan de Fuca to colonize Vancouver island
Following their success in the Northwest, Ring-necked
Pheasants were introduced across the country, many of which
were descendants of the birds that Denny sent to Washington
and Oregon
At least 19 states now have sizable pheasant populations


The Ring-necked Pheasant is
the state bird of South Dakota

It was introduced there in
1898 for game hunting and its
delicious meat

Primarily a Midwestern bird,
pheasants are considered a
delicacy in many other states

Pheasant hunting for sport and
consumption were driving
factors in their introduction to
the United States
Many citizens take part in
hunting clubs and
organizations that are solely
for Ring-necked Pheasants
(Pheasants Forever)
Many states like South Dakota
have lodges offering pheasant
hunting for a fee

Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever members are a diversified group of
hunters, non-hunters, farmers, ranchers, landowners, conservation
enthusiasts and wildlife officials. PF and QF are for those who want to
make a difference for wildlife by creating habitat, restoring wetlands
and protecting prairies. There are more than 650 PF chapters across the
U.S. and Canada, accounting for 115,000 current members, and more
than 100 QF chapters in the U.S. accounting for 5,000 members.

At the heart of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever is the unique
grassroots system of fundraising and project development that allows
members to see the direct result of their contributions. PF and QF
empower county chapters with the responsibility to determine how
100% of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent - the only
national conservation organization that operates through this truly
grassroots structure. As a result, chapter volunteers are able to see the
fruits of their efforts locally, while belonging to a larger national
organization with a voice on federal and state conservation policy.


Habitat Projects - The system of empowering local chapters and
volunteers to make the best decisions for wildlife in their local area has
resulted in the average annual completion of over 27,200 projects. Since
its inception in 1982, Pheasants Forever's wildlife habitat projects have
benefited more than 4 million acres across the continent. In that time,
PF has participated in nearly 1,000 different land acquisitions totaling
well over 100,000 acres. Those land acquisition projects have been
completed in conjunction with local, state and federal natural resource
agencies, and all of those projects are today open to public hunting.

Habitat Conservation Advocacy - Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's
mission is directly tied to a strong framework of federal conservation
programs. Authority for critical conservation programs, such as the
Conservation and Wetlands Reserve Program, is granted by the U.S.
Congress in the Federal Farm Bill's Conservation Title. In total, federal
farm conservation programs allow them to manage nearly 50 million
acres for wildlife habitat.