The Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a common game bird often found in open country. Because the hen builds her nest on the ground, the eggs are sometimes discovered by chance in fields and tall grasses. Identifying these eggs requires attention to their specific size, color, and nesting habits. This guide explains how to identify the eggs of this ground-nesting species.
Defining Physical Characteristics
Pheasant eggs are noticeably smaller than a standard chicken egg, typically weighing between 31 and 33 grams. They measure approximately 4.2 to 4.6 centimeters in length and 3.4 to 3.6 centimeters in width, placing them between a standard chicken egg and a small bantam egg. The shape is generally a blunt oval, often appearing more rounded than the elongated form of many other bird eggs. The shell surface is smooth and hard, lacking the grainy texture found on some domestic poultry eggs.
Color and Markings
The color of a pheasant egg is highly variable depending on the individual hen’s genetics. Common shell colors include various shades of solid olive-brown, pale blue-green, or a drab tan or buff. The eggs are typically a uniform, solid color and lack the specks, spots, or blotches seen on many other wild bird eggs.
Nesting Environment and Clutch Size
The hen creates a simple nest directly on the ground in a well-concealed location. These shallow depressions are sparsely lined with plant material like grass stems and leaves to cushion the eggs. Ideal nesting sites offer dense overhead cover, such as hayfields, roadside ditches, and brushy field edges.
A typical clutch usually ranges from 10 to 12 eggs, though a single hen can lay between six and 15 eggs. The incubation period lasts approximately 23 to 25 days, with the hen responsible for the entire process. A notable behavior is “dump nesting,” where multiple females lay their eggs in a single nest.
Dump nesting can result in unusually large clutches, sometimes containing 18 or more eggs. Finding a nest with a very high number of eggs suggests this communal laying behavior.
Distinguishing Pheasant Eggs from Other Ground Nests
Differentiating a pheasant egg from those of other ground-nesting birds involves focusing on size, color, and pattern. Quail eggs, such as those from the Bobwhite Quail, are dramatically smaller (around 10 grams) and are covered in dense speckles or blotches. Grouse eggs are also often spotted or finely marked, contrasting with the pheasant’s unadorned shell. While some domestic fowl lay blue or olive-tinted eggs, the pheasant egg’s medium size distinguishes it from a standard 60-gram chicken egg. A solid-colored, medium-sized, rounded egg found in a ground nest within dense vegetation is highly indicative of a Ring-necked Pheasant nest.