. Birds in Kansas. Birds -- Kansas Identification. Pheasants Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus (Linnaeus) Status: The Ring-necked Pheasant is an introduced common resident in the center and northwest that becomes progressively less common in the east and south. Period of Occurrence: The species is an introduced Breeding: The Ring-necked Pheasant nests commonly in the northwest and central part of the state; from the center eastward, breeding becomes sporadic, and in some years, this bird may be absent from the southeastern corner. It has become more common in south-central Ka
. Birds in Kansas. Birds -- Kansas Identification. Pheasants Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus (Linnaeus) Status: The Ring-necked Pheasant is an introduced common resident in the center and northwest that becomes progressively less common in the east and south. Period of Occurrence: The species is an introduced Breeding: The Ring-necked Pheasant nests commonly in the northwest and central part of the state; from the center eastward, breeding becomes sporadic, and in some years, this bird may be absent from the southeastern corner. It has become more common in south-central Kansas since 1980. Nests are located primarily in fence rows adjacent to cropland, ditches, shelterbelts, and hayfields. The number of eggs in the clutch varies but averages from 9 to 10; incubation takes about 23 days. Most breeding starts in April and extends into August. They have only one brood but may renest if the first nest is destroyed early in the season. The cocks establish ter- ritories in the spring, and their crowing can be heard up to a mile away. After breeding, the female tends the nest and young, which are precocial and leave the nest within hours to follow the adult. The young grow rapidly and are capable of limited flight within a week of hatching; they are independent within eight weeks. Habits and Habitat: Ring-necked Pheasants frequent the same general habitat as their breeding habitat. During the nonbreeding season, they occur in small groups or as solitary adults. Wintering birds use milo fields to obtain an adequate food supply. They may leave their feeding areas to rest in pastures. The pheasants prefer the drier areas of the state and are quite rare in the extreme east along the Missouri border. This pheasant, originally introduced from China in the early 1900s for hunting, occupies a niche that seems to be filled by no other game bird, at least in the western portion of the state. It is a popular game bird, and many out-of-state hunters flock to Kansas
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