Pa.'s One Hundred Eleven Year Relationship with the Ringneck Pheasant

The ringneck pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), a native of Asia, was introduced into Pennsylvania in 1892. The Pennsylvania Game Commission began breeding it for release in 1915.

The male of the species has a scarlet colored face “wattle,” two short "horns" of feathers at the back of the crown, and a very long, barred tail. A full-grown male is about 35 inches long. The female of the species has buff colored feathers, mottled with brown and black. A full-grown female is about 25 inches long.

The pheasant thrives best in the open country where it nests under the cover of grassy fields, high banked creek beds, or overgrown railroad tracks or corn fields. Its food supply, linked strongly with agricultural areas, consists of grain and small insects.

It takes about a year for an adult to acquire its full plumage and to begin breeding. The male is often a polygynous breeder. The female lays between 40 to 90 eggs a year, with an average clutch size of 8 to 15 eggs, which she begins laying during the first part of March and continues through June. The eggs require 24 days for incubation.

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