The Ring-necked Pheasant, a colorful game bird sought widely by hunters,
has been successfully introduced throughout the north and western regions
of the United States and into southern Canada.
In 1881, the first successful introduction of the Ring-necked
Pheasant, a native of Asia, was accomplished in the Willamette Valley of
Oregon (Wechsler 1986). Since
that time, at least 40 states have attempted to establish Ring-necked
Pheasants; about 30 states currently have sustainable populations, with
the highest densities in the Great Plains states, from Kansas north to
Montana and the Dakotas and east to Illinois (Wechsler 1986, Dahlgren
1988).
The Ring-necked Pheasant was first released in coastal
Texas on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge during 1933-34 (Halloran
& Howard 1956). Four
hundred birds were released at this site, but the last were observed in
1939. The establishment of Ring-necked Pheasants in the Southern
High Plains (Panhandle) of Texas were most likely the results of
immigration from Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas and from unrecorded
private releases in the Panhandle (Guthery et al. 1980).
Ring-necked Pheasants were first reported in the Panhandle region
in 1940 and by 1950 they occupied 17 counties (Jones & Felts 1950).
Currently, the Panhandle region is the stronghold for Ring-necked
Pheasants in Texas. DISTRIBUTION: Ring-necked Pheasants are well
established year round residents in the Texas Panhandle region.
The TBBAP reveals that most birds nest in this region; of the 5
records from outside this area, there are no confirmed Ring-necked
Pheasant nests. Ring-necked
Pheasants breed and nest in at least 34 counties in the Panhandle,
according to the TBBAP. Ring-necked
Pheasant nests occurring in other regions of Texas are probably from
annual releases of birds by landowners. SEASONAL OCCURRENCE: The nesting season for the
Ring-necked Pheasant lasts about 3 months.
The earliest nest recorded was initiated 4 April and the latest
nest was 5 July (Berthelsen 1989). The
TBBAP lists 10 July as the latest date a nest was observed; since
incubation lasts from 23-25 days (Ehrlich et al. 1988) the nest could have
been initiated in June. Peak
nest initiation occurs in late April (Berthelsen et al. 1990) or early May
(Taylor 1980) with the timing of nesting influenced most by availability
of nesting habitat and weather conditions. BREEDING HABITAT: Ring-necked Pheasants are solitary nesters that commonly inhabit pastures, hayfields, small-grain fields, and wetlands. In the Panhandle region, they commonly nest and raise their broods in playas (Whiteside & Guthery 1983) and seeded grasslands (Berthelsen et al. 1990). The structure of vegetation appears more important |
than the composition of vegetation in determining nest
site selection. Due to their
early nesting behavior residual vegetation is extremely important in nest
site selection. Nests are
shallow depressions, 10-18 cm (4-7 in) wide and 3-8 cm (1-3 in) deep,
concealed beneath bushes or in grass or herbs (Wechsler 1986).
Most nests are loosely lined with leaves or dried grasses;
additional vegetation and breast feathers are added to the nest as egg
laying and incubation progresses (Wechsler 1986). Clutch size ranges from
6-15 eggs (Ehrlich et al. 1988) and average 11.2 eggs in the Panhandle (Berthelsen
et al.1990). Dump nesting, by
several females, occurs occasionally with nests containing 20-50 eggs (Wechsler
1986). Most eggs laid in
normal nests are fertile (91%), but nest success is low (22%) (Berthelsen
et al. 1990). Low nest
success however, is offset by nest densities of up to 250/square km
(98/square mi) in the Panhandle (Berthelsen et al. 1990). STATUS: Ring-necked Pheasants are generally thought to
be suffering a decline in abundance throughout North America.
Aside from the Panhandle region, Ring-necked Pheasants have not
established sustainable populations in Texas.
In the Panhandle, even though birds were first reported in 1940,
populations capable of sustaining themselves were probably not achieved
until the 1970s (Guthery et al. 1980). Spring hen densities of 341/square km (131/square mi) have
been reported in the Panhandle region (Berthelsen et al. 1990).
In a four-county area (Castro, Deaf Smith, Hale, and Parmer
Counties - mostly in latilong 34102) an estimated 174,204 Ring-necked
Pheasant chicks were produced annually (Berthelsen et al. 1989).
Texas has had a two-week Ring-necked Pheasant hunting
season with a two-bird-per-day (cocks only) bag limit since 1958 (Guthery
et al. 1980). There is little
chance of over-harvesting Ring-necked Pheasants in this region, even with
more liberalized regulations (Berthelsen et al. 1990).
Changes in habitat use, mainly reduced surface water and
agricultural grains, will have the most impact on future Ring-necked
Pheasant populations in Texas. Agricultural
practices that promote the establishment of grassland cover at a grand
scale, has the most potential for providing high quality nesting and brood
rearing habitat.
Text by Jim Anderson (ca. 1992) |
