Global Range: Native to Asia. Introduced and established in most of Europe, New Zealand, and North America; also on all main islands of Hawaii. In North America from southern Canada south locally to California, Utah, southern New Mexico, southeastern Texas, northwestern Oklahoma, southern Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. Introduced on Guam but did not become established (Reichel and Glass 1991).

Phasianus colchicus is a non-migratory species native to Eurasia. The native range extends from the Caspian Sea, east across central Asia to China, and includes Korea, Japan, and former Burma. It was introduced to Europe, North America, New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii. In North America, Phasianus colchicus populations have been established on mid-latitude agricultural lands from southern Canada to Utah, California to New England states, and south to Virginia.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); palearctic (Native ); australian (Introduced )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Common pheasants are medium-sized birds with deep, pear-shaped bodies, small heads and long, thin tails. They are sexually dimorphic, with males being more colorful and larger than females. Males have spectacular, multi-colored plumage with long, pointed, barred tails and fleshy red eye patches. Their heads range in color from glossy dark green to iridescent purple. Many subspecies have a distinctive white collar around their neck which gives them their ‘ring-necked’ name. Female Phasianus colchicus are less colorful. They have buff brown, mottled plumage and, like males, have long pointed tails, although they are shorter than those of males.

There are two major groupings of subspecies within Phasianus colchicus. The colchicus group, or ring-necked pheasants, are native to mainland Eurasia. They are barred, with coppery red or yellow on their mantle and underparts, and have the prominent neck ring. Thirty-one subspecies are listed under this grouping. The other grouping of subspecies is the versicolor group, which lacks the neck ring and has green on their neck, breast, and upper belly. This group is native to Japan and was introduced to Hawaii. There are three subspecies in the versicolor group.

Average mass: 1263 g.

Range length: 42.5 to 53.6 cm.

Range wingspan: 23.5 to 25.8 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; sexes colored or patterned differently; male more colorful; ornamentation

Length: 84 cm

Weight: 1317 grams

• Terrestrial

Common pheasants occupy grassland and farmland habitats. They prefer relatively open cover, such as grass and stubble fields and are found in habitats with grass, ditches, hedges, marshes, and tree stands or bushes for cover. They are generalists occupying a wide range of habitat types except areas with dense rainforest, alpine forests, or very dry places. This flexibility is exemplified in their successful introduction to tropical habitats in Hawaii where only heavy precipitation and high altitudes pose the greatest habitat limitation.

Open water is not a requirement for Phasianus colchicus, but most populations are found where water is present. In drier habitats, common pheasants obtain water from dew, insects, and succulent vegetation.

Common pheasants occupy agricultural areas but the movement towards increasingly large agricultural operations is detrimental to habitat. Land-use transitions to larger operations include a loss of field-edge habitat (fewer fencerows), removal of bushes, burning of marshes, a trend towards monoculture, suburban sprawl, and commercial development. This habitat degradation leads to reduction of cover habitat and fewer small bodies of water for Phasianus colchicus.

Range elevation: 0 to 3353 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland

Wetlands: marsh

Other Habitat Features: agricultural

Comments: Open country (especially cultivated areas, scrubby wastes, open woodland and edges of woods), grassy steppe, desert oases, riverside thickets, swamps and open mountain forest (AOU 1983). Winter shelter includes bushes and trees along streams, shelterbelts, and fencerows. Usually nests in fields, brushy edges, or pastures, also along road rights-of-way. Nest is shallow depression scratched out by female.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Common pheasants are dietary generalists, eating a wide variety of plant matter, such as grain, seeds, shoots, and berries, as well as insects and small invertebrates. Common pheasants are mostly ground dwelling and scratch for food in the undergrowth with their bill. They usually forage in the early morning and evening. Important agricultural crops eaten by common pheasants are corn (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and flax (Lineum) Weed seeds they eat in North America are foxtail (Setaria lutescens), ragweed (Ambrosia) and sunflower seeds (Helianthus annus). Wild grape (Vitis), apples (Malus), and blackberries (Rubus) are some fruits eaten. They also eat grasshoppers (Orthoptera), caterpillars (Lepidoptera), crickets (Gryllidae), and snails (Gastropoda).

Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods

Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit

Primary Diet: omnivore

Comments: Eats waste corn, wheat, barley, oats, buckwheat, and seeds of ragweed, burdocks, etc.; also berries and pine seeds. In the spring eats green vegetation. Also eats some insects, mice, and snails (Terres 1980). Able to scratch through snow to reach food on the ground surface.

Common pheasants play a role as prey for larger carnivores and as an insectivore, helping to control insect populations. They may also disperse seeds through their seed predation. They may negatively affect greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) and gray partridges (Perdix perdix) through nest parasitism, habitat competition, transmission of disease, and aggressive behaviour. A study in Kansas reported nest parasitism of lesser prairie chickens by common pheasants. This rate of nest parasitism appeared to be density-dependent, increasing as nest site availability decreased. Other studies have investigated the negative impact of common pheasants on greater prairie chickens through nest parasitism. Pheasant eggs hatch earlier than prairie chicken eggs. The rate of embryo mortality or nest abandonment increases in parasitized prairie-chicken nests.

The release of common pheasants into woodland areas for game shooting is common. One study in Britain looked into the impact of this practice. They found that there was a neutral or positive impact of common pheasants on vegetation and bird communities. However, it is important to note that this study was done in pheasant-managed woodland areas and this management practice may have been more beneficial than the presence of pheasants themselves.

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds

Commensal/Parasitic Species:

• Borrelia burgdorferi
• vector ticks (lxodes ricinus)
• fleas (Siphonaptera)
• lice (Mallophaga)
• tapeworms (Railletina)
• caecal worms (Heterakis gallinarum)

Adult common pheasants may be preyed on either while on the ground or in flight. Some of their behavioral responses to danger include retreating into cover or hiding. They also may fly, crouch, or run. Hens facing a predator may display a broken wing in an attempt to draw their predator away from their nest or they may just try to sit very still. When chicks in a brood are preyed on, often more than one is taken at a time. Exposure to extreme weather is also attributed to chick mortality. Game hunting by humans is a significant predation concern for male pheasants in some areas. Common pheasants are particularly vulnerable to predation during nesting. Studies have shown that control of nest predators, particularly red foxes, can be a significant pheasant conservation tool. Additionally, increased pheasant predation rates are linked closely to increased rates of habitat destruction. This may be because habitat degradation renders prey more vulnerable to predators.  Studies have also been conducted to determine whether certain subspecies have higher survival rates in specific habitats. One particular study focused on the Sichuan subspecies of common pheasants, which nest in woody cover, a trait which makes them less susceptible to agricultural land degradation. However, this study found that Sichuan hens had no survival advantage over hens of other subspecies. Much information on predation in common pheasants is known from North American populations, where they are an important game species.

Known Predators:

• red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)
• domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
• coyotes (Canis latrans)
• badgers (Taxidea taxus)
• mink (Neovison vison)
• weasel species (Mustela)
• striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis)
• raccoons (Procyon lotor)
• great horned owls (Bubo virginianus)
• red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis)
• red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus)
• rough-legged hawks (Buteo lagopus)
• Cooper’s hawks (Accipiter cooperii)
• northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis)
• peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus)
• northern harriers (Circus cyaneus)
• snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina)

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

Usually ranges over no more than approximately 2-3 km (Terres 1980). In fall family groups may join and form flocks of 30-40 birds. Flocks break up in spring.

When alarmed, common pheasants make distinctive hoarse croaking notes. In males, this is a loud, piercing, double squawk ko-ork kok, with a sharp staccato on the last syllable. This crowing call is also made when males are establishing their territory. In agricultural areas, males may be heard crowing at dusk, dawn, and during the mating season. This call is very similar to the familiar call of a rooster and can travel up to a mile. Female calls tend to be more subtle and less likely to be audible.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Chick survival is influenced by hatch date, mass at birth, and habitat type. Many young don’t live beyond autumn. Annual survival rate of adult females is 21 to 46%, while it is only 7% for males. In some areas the reduced survival rate of males can be accounted for by the hunting of male common pheasants by humans. Nearly all wild birds die by age three. Adult mortality is caused by predation, agricultural activities, exposure to pesticides and toxins, and accidents with motorized vehicles.

Range lifespan

Status: captivity: 11 to 18 years.

Average lifespan

Status: wild: 3 years.

Common pheasants are polygynous, with a single male having a harem of several females. Common pheasants breed seasonally. In early spring (mid-March to early June) males establish breeding or crowing territories. These territories are relative in terms of other males’ territories and do not necessarily have definitive boundaries. On the other hand, females are not territorial. Within their breeding harem, they may show a dominance hierarchy. These harems last through the courting and nesting period and may have 2 to 18 females. Each female typically has a seasonally monogamous relationship with one territorial male.  In early spring, males establish a harem by crowing and wing-whirring displays. Crowing is the distinctive, loud korrk-kok call of males which they use to maintain their territory. This may be preceded by an almost inaudible wing-flap, after which the male may perform a brief but vigorous wing-whirring. Physical interactions between competing males may include flying at each other breast-to-breast, biting wattles, or high leaps with kicks toward the other’s bill. Males who establish breeding territories earlier in the season tend to be dominant over males establishing territory later.  Mate selection by females is dependent on a few factors. Female common pheasants tend to choose dominant males who can, for example, offer protection. Studies have found that females prefer long tails in males and that the length of ear tufts and presence of black points on the wattle also influences female choice. The general brightness of a male's plumage is not a factor, perhaps because brightness is not correlated to testosterone levels or dominant behaviors in male common pheasants.

Males have different courtship displays which elicit different responses in females. One study found that feeding rituals in males attracted female common pheasants, while lateral display courtship behaviors in males aroused females for copulation. In a lateral display, the male approaches the female, crossing slowly in a semicircle in front of her with his head low, the nearer wing drooped and his wattle erect. This lateral display often precedes copulation but later in the season a male may simply pursue and attempt to mount a female.

Mating System: polygynous

Nesting begins just before females start to lay eggs. The female will scrape a shallow depression in the ground in a well covered area, lining it lightly with readily available plant material. She will typically lay one egg a day until 7 to 15 eggs have been laid. Larger clutches of eggs arise when two or more hens lay in the same nest. The female will remain close to the nest, incubating the eggs for most of the day, leaving in the morning and evening to feed. Chicks are precocial at hatching, completely covered with down and with their eyes open. They are able to immediately begin walking and following the hen to sources of food; they are largely self-feeding.

Breeding interval: Ring-necked pheasants breed once yearly.

Breeding season: The ring-necked pheasant breeding season extends from mid-March to June.

Range eggs per season: 7 to 15.

Average eggs per season: 10.

Range time to hatching: 23 to 28 days.

Average time to hatching: 24 days.

Average birth mass: 18.5 g.

Range fledging age: 7 to 12 days.

Range time to independence: 70 to 80 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)

Most parental investment in common pheasants is by females. After building her nest and laying the eggs, the female is responsible for incubating them. Incubation takes approximately 23 days after the final egg is laid. When the chicks hatch, they are cared for solely by the hen. They are precocial when they hatch, covered with down, eyes open, and legs developed. They are able to immediately begin following the hen to sources of food and the young chicks will feed themselves. The hen’s main role is to lead her chicks to food after hatching. By about 12 days, young are able to fly and typically remain with the hen for 70 to 80 days before becoming independent.

Parental Investment: precocial ; female parental care ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Protecting: Female)

Usually 10-12, sometimes 5-23 eggs are laid in one nest. Two hens may lay eggs in same nest. Incubation lasts 23-25 days. Precocial young are tended by female.

Common pheasants are widely distributed and their conservation status is of least concern.

US Migratory Bird Act: no special status

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Common pheasants are highly susceptible to Newcastle disease, a significant disease in birds because of high mortality rates in those affected. Disease outbreaks have economic implications including trade embargos and restrictions of poultry sales in areas of outbreak. Common pheasants can carry Newcastle disease and spread it to other wild and domestic birds, which can be potentially negative to humans.

Negative Impacts: causes or carries domestic animal disease

The predominant benefit of Phasianus colchicus to humans is as an upland game bird.

Comments: Sometimes considered as two separate species, P. COLCHICUS and P. VERSICOLOR. Within the COLCHICUS group, the Asiatic complex is sometimes treated as a species, P. TORQUATUS, distinct from the more western P. COLCHICUS (AOU 1983).