Ring-necked Pheasant

I never know what wildlife I will encounter on our property. I recently noticed something moving through the tall grass at our barn and tried to associate this object with the known local wildlife. It turned out to be a ring-necked pheasant which is not part of our local wildlife.

Ring-necked pheasants are not native to the United States but were introduced as a game bird through state stocking programs. Wild pheasant populations have steadily declined since the 1970s and this pheasant must have been from a local stocking program.