Minnesota Seasons - Ring-necked Pheasant

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy


Conservation Status
IUCN Red List	LC - Least Concern
NatureServe	NNA - Not applicable SNA - Not applicable
Minnesota	not listed

Photo by Molly and Robert Power

Description

Size

20″ to 36″ in length

31″ wingspan

Voice

Sign

The track is of three toes pointing forward and a short toe pointing backward. The lateral two toes are straight, not curved. The track is 2″ to 3″ long and 1¾″ to 2¾″ wide. It looks like an arrow pointing in the opposite direction of travel. The short toe often does not register. When it does it appears as a nail hole just beyond the tip of the arrow.

Similar Species

Habitat

Grasslands, croplands, cattail marshes

Ecology

Migration

Nesting

Food

Distribution

Nativity

Native to eastern Europe

Occurrence

Common year-round resident.

Maps

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map


Taxonomy
Class	Aves (birds)
Order	Galliformes (landfowl)
Family	Phasianidae (pheasants, grouse, and allies)
Subfamily	Phasianinae (pheasants)
Genus	Phasianus (typical pheasants)

Subordinate Taxa
Several subspecies have been introduced into North America. Most of these have been from the torquatus group. Variations in coloration are due to differences in and hybridization between the imported subspecies.

*Caucasus pheasants (Phasianus colchicus colchicus)* group** Amu-Darya Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus zarudnyi) Bianchi’s Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus bianchii) Black-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus colchicus) Persian Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus persicus) South Caspian Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus talischensis) Syr-Darya Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus turcestanicus) West Caspian Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus septentrionalis) Zerafshan Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus zerafschanicus) *Chinese ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus torquatus)* group** Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus alaschanicus) Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus satscheuensis) Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus suehschanensis) Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus vlangalii) Formosan Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus formosanus) Gray-rumped Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus) Korean Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus karpowi) Kweichow Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus decollatus) Palla’s Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus pallasi) Rothschild’s Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus rothschildi) Shansi Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus kiangsuensis) Sohokhoto Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus sohokhotensis) Stone's Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus elegans) Strauch’s Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus strauchi) Tonkinese Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus takatsukasae) *Tarim pheasants (Phasianus colchicus tarimensis)* group** Tarim Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus tarimensis) Yarkand Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus shawii) *Mongolian ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus mongolicus)* group** Gobi Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus edzinensis) Kirghiz Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus mongolicus) Kobdo Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus hagenbecki) *White-winged pheasants (Phasianus colchicus chrysomelas/principalis)* group** Khivan Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus chrysomelas) Prince of Wales’s Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus principalis)

Synonyms


Visitor Photos

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Gregory Gilman

My Wife's discovery months ago by his distinctive call. We all weren't even hearing it then he showed up last month. This morning he climbed or flew to the 2nd story deck and started in.

Mike Poeppe


Dan W. Andree

Pheasant in flight...


Rooster Pheasant.....		Rooster Pheasant.....

Molly and Robert Power


Lynn Rubey

		A female Ring neck Pheasant in flight in the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge.
Male Ring-necked Pheasant on The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge foraging in the Tall Grass Prairie.


Kirk Nelson


MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Tracks

Camera

Slideshows

Ring-necked Pheasant
Allen Chartier

Ring-necked Pheasant
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Ring-necked Pheasant
JMC Nature Photos

slideshow


Visitor Videos

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Gregory Gilman

Where's My Breakfast?
Jul 7, 2025


Other Videos

Ring Neck pheasants Fighting Webster, Minnesota 2/5/2013
tinypbaby2002

About

Published on Feb 5, 2013

2 Ring Neck Pheasants Fighting near my Feeder
Webster Minnesota 2/5/2013
Jerry Tiny Peterson

Ring Necked Pheasant
johnfredeen

About

Uploaded on Jan 22, 2011

Ring necked pheasant crowing.

About

Uploaded on Feb 16, 2010

Some hand-held 1080i 24PA shots of a male ring necked pheasant that was outside my door February 2010.

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Mark George

About

Published on Apr 8, 2012

Filmed in East Sussex, England

Common Pheasant, male (Phasianus colchicus) - 2013-03-31
W3stlander

About

Published on Apr 3, 2013

The Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus),male, is a bird in the pheasant family (Phasianidae).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Pheasant

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De fazant (Phasianus colchicus), mannetje (ook wel een fazanthaan genoemd) is een vogel uit de familie van fazantachtigen (Phasianidae).

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fazant

Camcorder


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