Factors affecting winter pheasant density in British woodlands.

Abstract

1. Winter pheasant densities were obtained by drive counts in 189 sample areas of woodland from 17 sites. Measurements of woodland size, shape and structure, the extent of rearing, supplementary feeding and the habitat of the surrounding lands were recorded for each drive.
2. Forward stepwise multiple regression and principal component analysis of 153 woods from 13 sites were used to identify factors related to winter pheasant density. On a within-site basis small woodlands with a high proportion of shrubby cover (100-200 cm in height), and the provision of supplementary feed were all associated with high pheasant densities. Pheasant density declined through the winter. On a between-site basis, high pheasant densities were associated with the release of hand-reared birds.
3. Comparison of observed pheasant densities in an independent sample of 36 woods from a further four sites with predicted values from the regression model found a significant positive relationship.
4. The implications of these results for increasing winter pheasant densities are discussed.