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State Bird: Chinese Ring-Neck Pheasant
The ring-necked pheasant is a chickenlike bird with a striking tapered, pointed
tail, which may be twenty-one inches long in males. The birds grow to thirty to thirty-six
inches long overall. The wings are short and rounded, and the wingspread is about
thirty-two inches. Males average nearly three pounds, females about two pounds.
Males are very colorful, with iridescent green-blue or purple heads and necks. Long, iridescent
feathers along the sides of the head form an erectile double crest. These "ear feathers" can
be raised, giving the appearance of small horns. Bright patches of bare red skin on the cheeks form red
wattles below the eyes. A white collar around the neck gives the species its name.
The upper parts of males' bodies are rich bronze and brownish red, with black, brown, and white
markings. Tails are brown with black bars.
In contrast, the brown, mottled brown hens are similar in appearance to sharp-tailed grouse, which
share much of their range. Hens also lack the white neck ring. They are about twenty-one to twenty-five
inches long, including an eleven to twelve-inch pointed, yellow-brown tail.
The Chinese ring-necked pheasant was introduced to South Dakota in 1898.
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