Ring-necked Pheasant Population Analysis
Ring-necked Pheasant has declined: down 30% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Ring-necked Pheasant
The Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a North American member of the Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys (Phasianidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the game birds.
- Size
- 12–47 in long (30–120 cm) — a ground-dwelling game bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Fields, brushland, prairie and the forest floor, where it forages and nests on the ground.
- Diet
- Seeds, grain, buds, leaves and insects gathered on the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,763 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 39 states, most concentrated in the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie.
- Family
- Phasianidae · Game birds
Notable Ring-necked Pheasant TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
No notable trend signals for Ring-necked Pheasant. See the full index history below.
Ring-necked Pheasant Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Ring-necked Pheasant is projected to fall about 34% by 2030 — from 3.8 in 2025 to a central estimate of 2.5 (95% range 1.0–4.0). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±8.5%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the Ring-necked Pheasant Is Detected
BBS routes recording Ring-necked Pheasant, sized by most recent count.
Ring-necked Pheasant Population Trend by State
Ring-necked Pheasant Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
Ring-necked Pheasant Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 30% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-08-14. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.