Pheasant breed strains

[British gamekeeper]

Just wondered what your most common strain of pheasant? Does it vary from state to state?

We have Kansas and Michigan blue backs in the UK. EXTREMELY hard to hold in a certain area. And they will even lead other birds away! A newish strain coming on to the scene in the Uk at the moment is the Byzanty/polish ring neck pheasant. Extremely good reports about this bird. A smaller bird, fly very well and sticks to your ground like glue! I've lost count of how many strains of pheasant we have. Old english, Scandinavian, French ringnecks, Japanese greens, the list goes on and on. That doesn't include the cross breeds.

 

[oldandnew]

I am going to let Preston and others respond about breeds of Pheasant. I know we have Korean greenbacks in SE Missouri. There have been every variety introduces around the county, in my opinion most are inbred into the original Chinese Ring-neck and have basically that coloring, and may vary in size, seems like the northern birds are bigger. I am interested in success you have with gray partridge? Do you have blackgame, or Capercaile, (sic)? Your big estates managed right are a god send. We are discovering the issues of range, with Prairie Grouse, and Bobwhite quail. I believe Bobwhite were introduced in Britain, I almost wrecked a car seeing a covey in a thornbush hedgerow in the midlands, many years ago.

 

[birdshooter]

Any experience with Manchurian ringnecks?

I hear they are a slightly larger, hardier bird that can take a adapt to a harsher environment than your standard Chinese version? A bit more high strung which would seem at first thought to better for release birds?

 

[Preston1]

The Chinese Ringneck pheasant is the primary or base wild pheasant that is seen in all states as O&N already mentioned. But added to that base are numerous True Pheasant (common pheasant) subspecies. Look at the True Pheasant Breed link produced by a European group, 1pheas4 found this link and its been helpful.

http://www.edelfocusgruppe.de.vu/

Click on "The True Pheasant " on the top left. On the left side of that page are all the subspecies that are part of our wild pheasants but look that the Chinese Ring-Necked pheasant and that is the primary look that you will find in most states.

The Mongolian (Kirghiz) pheasant traits can frequently be seen in many states, with a reddish rump ( as seen on the current cover of the Pheasant Forever magazine) as apposed to a gray or olive rump.

The one place where you may see a consistent change in the phenotype (or appearance only in roosters) is along he upper and middle Rio Grande river in New Mexico. Along the middle part of that river most roosters (not all) will have a White-Winged pheasant (Bianchi) look, every third rooster will have a full or partial ring. That area starter off in 1916 with the regular ringneck pheasants and the white-winged pheasants were brought in in the 1960's and crossed with the ringnecks to produce an alert and predator wary group of wild pheasant in the river valley.

Some states released the Strauchi pheasants, also called Sichuan pheasant an alert wild pheasant that also quickly crossed with the regular ringneck to produce a thin ring rooster and predator wary and alert pheasant (hens look alike). This bird keeps a low profile that is good.

A number of eastern state obtained their original ringneck pheasant stock from England.

 

[British gamekeeper]

The Chinese Ringneck pheasant is the primary or base wild pheasant that is seen in all states as O&N already mentioned. But added to that base are numerous True Pheasant (common pheasant) subspecies. Look at the True Pheasant Breed link produced by a European group, 1pheas4 found this link and its been helpful.

http://www.edelfocusgruppe.de.vu/

Click on "The True Pheasant " on the top left. On the left side of that page are all the subspecies that are part of our wild pheasants but look that the Chinese Ring-Necked pheasant and that is the primary look that you will find in most states.

The Mongolian (Kirghiz) pheasant traits can frequently be seen in many states, with a reddish rump ( as seen on the current cover of the Pheasant Forever magazine) as apposed to a gray or olive rump.

The one place where you may see a consistent change in the phenotype (or appearance only in roosters) is along he upper and middle Rio Grande river in New Mexico. Along the middle part of that river most roosters (not all) will have a White-Winged pheasant (Bianchi) look, every third rooster will have a full or partial ring. That area starter off in 1916 with the regular ringneck pheasants and the white-winged pheasants were brought in in the 1960's and crossed with the ringnecks to produce an alert and predator wary group of wild pheasant in the river valley.

Some states released the Strauchi pheasants, also called Sichuan pheasant an alert wild pheasant that also quickly crossed with the regular ringneck to produce a thin ring rooster and predator wary and alert pheasant (hens look alike). This bird keeps a low profile that is good.

A number of eastern state obtained their original ringneck pheasant stock from England.

Thanks for the info! We do have a strain of black neck pheasant, but it was found that after 3/4 generations they would revert back to ring neck. If you want to have some fun try wing tagging your birds. It will scare you! But it is also fun. Different colours for different years. God do they travel! Also we shot a hen pheasant that we had wing tagged 6 years earlier! She was the exception. The ultimate vermin and gun dodger! 3 seasons is the max for the lucky birds. I would hate to think what % is taken by vermin.