Ring-necked Pheasant

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Originally from Asia,
the Ring-necked Pheasant was
introduced in 1880 to farmlands
south of Vancouver as a sporting bird.
Additional introductions occurred until 1950. Today, the spectacular plumage of the
male Ring-necked Pheasant is a familiar sight in the fields around the edge of the city,
and it may even be seen in tidal marshes, secluded woodland parks and the shrubby
areas around golf courses.
During the spring breeding season, males collect harems of up to five hens, which
they attempt to protect from the advances of male rivals. Each female incubates 9 to
13 olive brown eggs in a grass-lined depression in the ground, often located under a
bush. Occasionally more than one female will lay in the same nest, causing the nest to
literally overflow with eggs—in B.C. the record is 28 eggs in one nest!

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