Chapter 2. Natural history of the common pheasant

The common (or ring-necked) pheasant is a member of the order Galliformes, a globally distributed group (Johnsgard 1999). This order also includes groups such as partridges, quail, grouse, turkeys and guinea fowl. In Britain, the pheasant is predominantly a bird of woodland edge, agricultural and shrubby-wetland habitats (Hill & Robertson 1988a, Johnsgard 1999). It has a wide distribution throughout Great Britain (Tapper 1999). Pheasants are sexually dimorphic with an unusual form of polygynous mating, based on defence of harems of females by territorial males with the exclusion on non-territorial males (Oring 1992). Pheasants exhibit seasonal variation in habitat use (Robertson et al. 1993a). In winter, woodlands, ditches and dykes provide a major habitat for pheasants in Britain (Robertson et al. 1993a). In the USA wetlands, scrub and tall grasses are used in areas where there is no woodland (Guthery & Whiteside 1984, Gatti et al. 1989, Perkins et al. 1997, Gabbert et al. 1999). Pheasants prefer woodlands with a high proportion of shrubby cover (Robertson 1985, Robertson et al. 1993a), with structural diversity being more important species diversity (Lachlan & Bray 1976, Robertson et al. 1993a). Shrubby cover provides shelter, concealment and ease of movement at ground level (Robertson et al. 1993a).

During early spring pheasants move out of their wintering areas in woodlands (Robertson et al. 1993a) and males compete to establish exclusive territories in February and March (Robertson et al. 1993b). Some males are unable to establish territories and remain non-territorial throughout the breeding season and are often seen in loose flocks in open ground (Hill & Robertson 1988a). Females form into small flocks and visit the territories of a number of males before settling to breed within a territory (Ridley & Hill 1987, Robertson et al. 1993b). In Britain, territories are usually established along woodland edges or other types of permanent cover bordering open ground, particularly fields of arable crops, stubble or set-aside (Lachlan & Bray 1976, Robertson et al. 1993b). Females feed in the presence of the territorial male for up to six weeks, during which time they build up fat reserves in preparation for nesting. Whilst the hen is feeding the male remains vigilant over the females, alerting them to predators and protecting them from harassment from other males, enabling them to maximise their energy input while minimising energy output (Ridley & Hill 1987, Woodburn & Robertson 2000). Hen pheasants nest from April – August. They nest close to, but often not in, the territory of the cock they mated with (Woodburn & Robertson 2000). Early nests tend to be in areas of standing vegetation left over from the previous year, typically long grass, weedy patches or woodland while later nests are often found in new season growth, especially arable crops (Robertson 1997, Bence 2001). Mean clutch size is 11.4 eggs (Robertson 1991) and incubation lasts 25 days (Cramp & Simmons 1980, Hill & Robertson 1988a). After hatch, the brood is led away from the nest by the hen. Chicks are dependent on insect foods for survival in the first two weeks after hatch (Hill 1985, Whitmore et al. 1986, Robertson 1997) and preferred brood rearing habitats include weedy arable crops (Hill 1985, Robertson 1997), set-aside (Robertson 1997, Bence 2001) and tall grass fields (Riley et al. 1998).

The proportion of wild birds in the annual harvest is unclear, but is unlikely to be much greater than 10% (Tapper 1999, Woodburn 1999). Due to the large number of birds released each year, it is difficult to estimate accurately the status of the national population of wild pheasants. However, good stable populations of wild birds exist in some arable areas of the UK, particularly in East Anglia, central southern England, north east England and areas of the Scottish lowlands (Tapper 1999).