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Ring-necked Pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
by Kristin
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Phasianus
Species: Colchicus
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Physical Description
Ring-necked pheasants have yellowish chicken-like bills, short legs,
rounded wings and long tail feathers. Males have a wingspan of 30 to 36
inches. Their head and neck are a green/blue or purple color. They have a
white collar, separating the head from the body. Their face has a bright
path of red skin on the cheeks and around the eyes. The overall color is
a bronze with a little brown, black, white, and green. Ring-necked Pheasants
have a reddish/brown tail. The females are more of a brown, lacking bright
colors like the males. The average length of the female is 22 to 24 inches
(larger than a chicken).
Diet and Feeding Habits
These pheasants eat an hour after sunrise. They mostly feed on plants,
waste grains or seeds, corn, wheat oats, barely, weeds, and berries and
nuts. They also eat large insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars and
such. They even eat things like mice and snails.
Reproduction
The breeding season for Ring-necked Pheasants is february/march to august.
The Males call loudly to attract the females. The Ring-necked Pheasants
nests are on the ground and are tall with grass, weeds and sometimes a few
hens feathers, and a scrape in the ground for vegetation. The eggs are a
dark green / olive-brown color. The eggs are usually in large clusters. They
can lay as little as 5 eggs and as large amounts as 23! The hens will care
for the chicks until they are 34-35 days old.
Habitat
The Ring-necked Pheasant is found in farmlands with crops of corn, wheat,
oats, barely or hay. Also areas of grassland or small woodlands.
Role in the Ecosystem
The Ring-necked Pheasant is an omnivore. It eats plants and insects
like caterpillars and crickets. This pheasant is prey for animals like
foxes, owls, and hawks. It makes nests and sometimes on the same nesting
ground as birds like Mallards and even Turkey. Ring-necked Pheasants are
also good for hunters. They are bred in cages and then released for hunters
to shoot. People eat the meat and the feathers can be used for things like
fishing, to attract the fish.
Bibliography
1. http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/sep/papr/phante.html
2. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ring-necked_Pheasant_dtl.html#sound
3. http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=BD0173
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheasant
5. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/critter/bird/birdposter/rnpheasant.htm
6. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/resources/wildnotes/pub092.htm
7. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3091id.html
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