Learning about the Ring-necked Pheasant

Male Ring-necked Pheasant
Courtesy http://www.hunter-ed.com/wildlife/upland_birds.htm

This is the star of our Wildlife project meeting today!

Isn’t he a beauty!

This is a ring-necked pheasant and we are learning all about the habits and environment that this bird likes to be comfy cozy in his home!  This is just one of the many animals we learn about in the Wildlife project.  Not only do we learn what he looks like, but also his cover needs during his lifespan, his food preferences, nesting patterns, and breeding habits. 

Here are a few quick facts about the ring-necked phesant:

·       Upland bird

·       Lives in forests, brushlands, and prairies

·       Nests in grasses and shrubs; 10 - 12 brownish-green eggs.

·       Ring-necked pheasants are usually polygamous but some males are monogamous.

·       Ring-necked pheasants are capable of breeding the spring of the year after they hatch.

·       The eggs are incubated by the hen for 23 to 25 days.

·       The chicks are cared for by the hen until they are 6 to 8 weeks old.

·       Adult ring-necked pheasants are mainly seed-eaters, with cereal grains comprising their staple food items.

The plants refered to in our Wildlife contest are:

Annual Sunflower
Buffalo-bur
Bundleflower
Croton
Johnsongrass
Partridge Pea
Smartweed
Western Ragweed

Some good sources I liked related to the Ring-necked Pheasant are:

• http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/habitats/high_plains/upland_game/pheasant.phtml
• http://www.hunter-ed.com/wildlife/upland_birds.htm
• http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/phco/all.html
• http://txtbba.tamu.edu/accounts/rnph/rnphacc.html

Female ring-necked pheasant
Courtesy http://www.hunter-ed.com/wildlife/upland_birds.htm