Pheasants and grouse · Gamebirds
Ring-necked Pheasant
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Phasianus colchicus
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Voice
Call
Call
Song
How to recognize it
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Large ground species with a very long wedge-shaped tail
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Male: dark green head, red eye ring, copper-gold body
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Often a white neck ring; tail brown with pale edges
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Female and juveniles: dull brown, mottled and streaked
About the species
The ring-necked pheasant is easy to notice at a glance, mostly because the sexes look so different. The male is vivid and showy, while the female stays plain and brown, which makes the pair memorable on a walk.
It is cautious and prefers to run rather than fly. When startled, it shoots up with a loud whir of wings and may give a sharp kok kok kok alarm.
It uses wooded edges, thickets, river valleys, lake shores, and field margins with cover nearby. Its food is varied, from seeds, fruit, berries, and shoots to grain, insects, molluscs, and worms; in snowy areas it may even feed near farms.
Where to find
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Along reed-fringed canal banks, pond edges, and slow river bends — the Ring-necked Pheasant often darts through the grass, then explodes upward with a loud whirr when startled.
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In mature parks with thick shrubs and old trees, especially early in the morning, look for a male stepping out onto a path or lawn to feed before slipping back under cover.
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At the edges of vacant lots, wide lawns, and rough field margins on the city fringe, it keeps low in the grass and makes quick dashes between bushes.
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After rain, near wet ground and puddles by water, watch for short bursts of ground feeding and a sudden vertical takeoff from the reeds.
