This native of Asia, first introduced to North America in the late 1800s, is now found across most of southern Canada from the east to the west coast. It prefers agricultural and wetland habitats, though the species shows marked flexibility to different habitat conditions (Giudice and Ratti 2001). The Breeding Bird Survey suggests that there has been little overall change in the Canadian population of Ring-necked Pheasant since about 1970. This species is a popular game bird across much of its range (Giudice and Ratti 2001). National population goals have not been established for this and other introduced species.
This introduced species is known to be affected by pesticide use, general agricultural practices such as hayfield cutting and farming intensity, and hunting pressure (Giudice and Ratti 2001). Temperature, snow cover, and predator cycles are also known to affect local abundances of the species (Giudice and Ratti 2001). Widely raised in captivity, introductions have been widespread across southern Canada and much of the United States; current populations are at least partially sustained by ongoing introductions and by active habitat improvement practices (Giudice and Ratti 2001). For example, the naturalized population of pheasants in Ontario has continued to decline since the 1970s and is now considered to be practically extirpated. Birds detected in the wild in Ontario are almost exclusively pen-raised birds remaining from releases for hunting (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, pers. comm.).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
