Ring-necked Pheasant (Common Pheasant)

A medium-sized galliform with a long, pointed tail. Males are strikingly colored with iridescent green heads, red facial skin, and a white neck ring. The feather shown exhibits the warm earth tones found on the bird's flank.

Tri-colored pattern featuring a dark chocolate-brown to blackish tip/margin, a warm tawny-cinnamon or rufous central band, and a cream-white to translucent base. The rachis is dark toward the tip and pales toward the calamus.

Pennaceous top half with interlocked barbs; fluffy plumulaceous structure at the base for insulation; barbicels are present in the dark distal portion.

The upper portion is smooth and somewhat glossy with a firm vane, while the lower two-thirds is soft, downy, and matte.

Distinctive ‘heart-shaped’ or bi-lobed color pattern near the tip, transitioning from dark margins to a bright rufous center, backed by a large plumulaceous base.

Agricultural fields, grasslands, hedgerows, and brushy areas; likes areas with thick cover and nearby water sources.

Native to Asia but widely introduced and naturalized across North America, Europe, and parts of Oceania/South America.

High-level consumer of seeds and insects; serves as a significant prey species for hawks, foxes, and owls.

Ruffed Grouse feathers (usually more mottled and lacks the solid dark tip) and Northern Flicker (smaller, different shaft color).

Pheasants were first introduced to North America in the late 19th century and have since become the state bird of South Dakota. They can burst into flight at speeds up to 48 mph.

Good condition; the distal pennaceous portion is largely intact, though the plumulaceous base appears slightly matted, suggesting it may have been molted recently or exposed to moisture.