Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) lives in temperate grasslands across Eurasia, North America. It feeds on grains and insects. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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In Britain, about 47 million pheasants are released each hunting season, yet most never live past a single year in the wild. Because around 47,000,000 pheasants are released each year on shooting estates, it is widespread in distribution, although most released birds survive less than a year in the wild.
A female lays a clutch of eight to fifteen eggs, incubates them for 23-25 days, and the chicks are able to fly after just 12-14 days, resembling adults by 15 weeks. Hens scrape a hollow in the ground … they lay a clutch of eight to fifteen eggs. The hen afterwards incubates them twenty-three to twenty-five days. After hatching they grow quickly, flying after 12-14 days, resembling adults by only 15 weeks of age.
Pheasants arrived in North America in 1773, and today South Dakota harvests over one million birds each year, reflecting their status as a premier game species. Common pheasants were introduced in North America beginning in 1773, with the first large-scale successful introduction occurring in 1881 … South Dakota alone has an annual harvest of over 1 million birds a year by over 200,000 hunters. This historic spread shows how a single human-driven introduction can create a lasting, continent-wide hunting industry.
Over 20 million years ago the pheasant's lineage split from junglefowl, placing it in a different subfamily entirely. Recent studies show that they are in different subfamilies, having diverged over 20 million years ago.
When startled, a pheasant can sprint into the air. Their flight speed is only 43-61 km/h (23-33 kn) when cruising but when chased they can fly up to 90 km/h (49 kn).
Sources
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As the sun rises over the rolling hills and woodland edges, the ring-necked pheasant stirs to life, its iridescent feathers glistening like jewels in the morning dew. With a rustle of leaves and a flash of colour, it bursts into movement, its powerful legs propelling it through the underbrush with a swift, stuttering gait, as if the very land itself is unfolding beneath its feet. In this fleeting moment, the pheasant's remarkable plumage and agile form seem almost otherworldly, a testament to the enduring beauty of this most resilient and adaptable of birds.
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