Studies on the aggregating behaviour of wild ring-necked pheasant.

Abstract

The aggregating behaviour of Ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus was studied in the winter from 1989 to 1994. Field work was carried out in three natural reserves. Songshan (SS) and Baihuashan (BHS) of Beijing, and Pangquangou (PQG) of Shanxi Province, and the area. around Tianchi Lake of Ningwu County (NW), Shanxi Province. Totally 738 pheasants had been recorded in 273 field observations. Among the pheasants had been found, 83.33% live in groups. The tendency of aggregation was varied in different areas, with 53.10% of the pheasants in the area around Tianchi Lake and 89.51% of the pheasants in Songshan Natural Reserve live in flocks. Difference of the flocking behaviour also existed between the two sexes. Compared to the female, higher proportion of the male pheasants live alone. Remarkable sex segregation occurred in the flocks of Ring-necked Pheasant. The single-sex group accounted for 91.94% of the all known-sex groups. The mix-sex group usually forms in the late autumn or early winter, and it was the early stage of the flock formation. There were great significant differences in group size among areas (Oneway ANOVA. F =7.810, P <0.001), with an average group size of 2.743±2.704. The group size was also influenced by some other factors, such as group structure and habitats. Habitat heterogeneity and predation pressure might be the important factors which led pheasants, such as Ring-necked pheasants, to live in group in winter.