Ring-necked Pheasant (Common Pheasant)

This is a central tail feather from a male Ring-necked Pheasant. The bird itself is large and chicken-like, with males sporting iridescent green heads, red face wattles, and ornate copper/gold body plumage.

Golden-brown or tan base color with dark brown to black horizontal barring (tiger-striping). The rachis is light-colored/cream.

Tightly pennaceous and rigid along the main vane for aerodynamics, with a small plumulaceous (fluffy) base at the calamus for insulation.

Relatively stiff and smooth; the surface has a slight waxy gloss typical of ground-dwelling game birds.

Exceptional length, pointed tip, and characteristic 'tiger-stripe' black horizontal barring on a golden-tan background.

Open grasslands, agricultural fields, brushy fields, and forest edges. Usually found near water or dense cover.

Native to Asia but widely introduced across North America, Europe, and Australia as a game bird.

Generalist omnivore (seeds, insects). They serve as a vital prey species for various hawks, owls, and mammalian predators.

Reeves's Pheasant (much longer, different pattern) and Wild Turkey (darker, broader, different banding).

Male Ring-necked Pheasants can have tail feathers up to 20 inches long; they use these during elaborate courtship displays to attract hens.

Excellent condition; the barbs are mostly intact with minimal 'zipper' splitting, suggesting it was naturally molted or freshly lost.