Ring-necked Pheasant (Common Pheasant)

This feather belongs to the male Ring-necked Pheasant, a large, chicken-like bird with spectacular plumage. Males feature a green iridescent head, red facial wattles, and a white neck ring, matched by body feathers that are a mosaic of gold, copper, and black. This specific feather shows the intricate barring that provides camouflage while also contributing to the bird's ornate appearance during displays.

Rich rufous-brown/copper margins with a distinctive creamy-gold or buff center. The central light area features dark, chevron-like horizontal barring or vermiculations typical of male pheasant plumage.

The lower half is plumulaceous (loose and downy) for insulation, while the upper half is pennaceous (firmly interlocked) for protection and display.

Smooth and glossy at the pennaceous tip with a slight metallic sheen; soft and fuzzy at the grayish-tan downy base.

Tri-colored appearance (cream center, dark chevrons, copper edges), square tip, and a large downy base portion.

Open grasslands, agricultural fields, brushy corridors, and hedgerows with nearby cover.

Native to Asia; widely introduced and established across North America, Europe, and parts of Oceania. They are non-migratory residents.

Primary consumer/omnivore feeding on seeds and insects; serves as a significant prey species for hawks, foxes, and coyotes.

Ruffed Grouse (more matte and brown-heavy), Gray Partridge (finer vermiculations), or female Ring-necked Pheasants (lack the rich copper/gold contrast).

Pheasants were first successfully introduced to the United States in the late 1800s. They are known for their 'thunderous' takeoff, where they burst from cover with loud wingbeats when startled.

Good; the tip shows some slight separation of barbs (fraying), indicating it was likely a naturally molted feather or lost during brush movement.