Ring-necked Pheasant

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Ring-necked Pheasant in the UK

The Pheasant is not native to Britain. It comes from Asia, has been recorded here since medieval times and sits in Category C1 of the British List as a naturalised introduction. The breeding population is estimated at more than two million females. Tens of millions of reared birds are released every year for shooting, and releases rose roughly sixfold between 1960 and 2004. Breeding numbers grew by 18% between 1995 and 2024. As an introduced species it has no UK conservation listing.

Where and when to see a Ring-necked Pheasant

Almost anywhere in lowland Britain with farmland and cover: field edges, hedgerows, copses, reedbed margins and woodland rides. It is scarce only in the far north-west of Scotland, on high ground and in city centres. Numbers jump in late summer and autumn when reared birds are released ahead of the shooting season, which runs from 1 October to 1 February in Great Britain. Early morning and dusk are best, when birds feed in the open before flying up to roost in trees.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Farmland, woodland edges.
Diet: Grain, insects, leaves.
Field note: Released for shooting; abundant.

How to identify a Ring-necked Pheasant

The male is unmistakable: 75 to 90 cm long, half of it tail, with a copper body, glossy dark green head and red face wattles. Many have a white neck ring, others have none, and some are very dark all over. The female is smaller, sandy brown with dark mottling and a long pointed tail. Both run rather than fly when disturbed. If pushed they burst up almost vertically on whirring wings, then glide on bowed wings into cover.

Call and song

The male's crow is a loud, hoarse two-note 'korr-kok', followed at once by a short burst of wing drumming. It carries a long way in spring. Flushed birds give a rattling, clucking 'kutuk-kutuk' as they take off. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Grey Partridge: Partridges are much smaller and rounder with a short rusty tail, and lack the female Pheasant's long pointed tail.
• Golden Pheasant: A female Golden Pheasant is smaller and darker with heavier barring and a barred tail, and is now almost gone from Britain.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Ring-necked Pheasant is a Common tier bird, worth +1 point when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• BullfinchCommon · Woodland edges
• Common BuzzardCommon · Farmland
• European RobinCommon · Gardens
• Barn SwallowCommon · Farmland (summer)
• Blue TitCommon · Woodland
• Canada GooseCommon · Lakes

Ring-necked Pheasant: quick answers

What is the difference between a Ring-necked Pheasant and a Common Pheasant?

They are the same species, Phasianus colchicus. Ring-necked Pheasant is the usual North American name. In Britain it is simply the Pheasant. The white neck ring comes from Chinese stock: birds of other origins have no ring, and centuries of mixed releases mean British males show every pattern in between.

What does a Ring-necked Pheasant eat?

Mostly plant food: grain, seeds, shoots, berries and acorns, plus spilt feed from game hoppers. Chicks need insects for their first weeks. Adults also take worms and beetles, and will eat small lizards and other small animals when they find them.

What habitat does the Ring-necked Pheasant live in?

Farmland with cover nearby. It feeds in the open on arable fields and pasture and retreats to hedges, scrub, reedbeds and small woods. Much lowland woodland in Britain is managed with Pheasants in mind, which is one reason the bird is so widespread.

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