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Ring-necked Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
Ring-necked Pheasant, photographed by Stephan Sprinz

Photo: Stephan Sprinz · Wikimedia · CC-BY 4.0 (licence)

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Call and song

About the Ring-necked Pheasant

This long-tailed game bird is native to Asia and has been introduced in many other parts of the world. Male has fleshy, red facial wattles, iridescent blue neck, and richly colored red and golden underparts with dark spots; his namesake white neck ring is indistinct on some birds. Female is buffy-brown, heavily marked with black, and usually shows some white markings around the eye. In much of its introduced range, including North America, there are no similar species. Elsewhere, note male’s blue neck and heavily spotted body, and female’s spotted or chevroned (not barred) underparts and mostly plain face lacking strong red markings. Found in farmland, scrub, and along the edge of forest, and often gives a loud, abrupt rasping call that draws attention to its presence. Japanese birds are now treated as a separate species, Green Pheasant.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 86 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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