Observations on a Pheasant Population

by Kevin Wright | May 1, 2026 | Wildlife

An adult male ring-necked pheasant flaps his wings while standing along the edge of a grassland.

All photos by Kevin Wright.

Two rooster ring-necked pheasants were going at it pretty good. After a short tussle they gave up on their mating-induced ritual and parted ways. I had been photographing pheasants at this site for several years, with good luck finding a few almost on a daily basis. Little did I know that a change was coming.

It is no secret that loss of habitat and changing farm practices has put a major hurt on upland bird numbers in our state. Many areas of the state that once harbored populations of pheasants are now nearly devoid of this popular upland game bird with few, if any, remaining.

Decline in Pheasant Numbers

A colorful red, iridescent blue, white, tan, reddish, gray and black adult male ring-necked pheasant stands on alert in a green grassland.

Looking at information from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) status reports on pheasants you will quickly see how pheasant numbers have dwindled in the state.

On several occasions in the 1960s and 1970s, 250,000 hunters harvested more than a million birds per year. Then came shifts in farming practices and land use.

By 2000 the number of Illinois pheasant hunters had declined to just 59,000 and those hunters harvested only 158,000 birds. Estimated totals from the 2024-2025 status report suggest that just 9,013 hunters harvested 22,844 pheasants.

Similarly, several survey routes conducted during 2025, where birds are counted when seen or heard in the state, showed a decrease in pheasant numbers from the previous year.

Why the Decline?

A colorful red, iridescent blue, white, tan, reddish, gray and black adult male ring-necked pheasant huddles with his feathers fluffed for warmth on a cold winter's day. In the background is a snowy grassland.

I went into the fall after witnessing that springtime rooster fighting incident still photographing a pheasant or two. A mild winter seemed to give the pheasants some relief but by the next spring the pheasants were gone. I’ve not had one sighting now in more than two years. What could have happened?

Habitat on the site had been slowly changing. Small things that I didn’t notice were taking place that apparently were enough to upset the balance of an already tenuously small pheasant population.

Good pheasant habitats should offer ideal conditions for nesting. Pheasants require grasslands with medium to tall height grasses and legumes for nesting. Mowing prior to or during the nesting season negatively impacts nesting cover and nest sites. Locations should also offer weedy areas with cover that provide an overhead canopy with lots of bare ground below to allow young to freely move about and forage for insects. Such cover conceals the birds from predators but also provides shade to protect the chicks from overheating in the sun.

Two photos collaged together. The photo on the left is of a tan and brown adult female pheasant partially concealed by tall grasses. Only her head and neck is visible above the grasses. The photo to the right is of a brown and tan pheasant chick standing on the edge of a gravel, asphalt road. In the background is green vegetation. — Pheasant hen partially concealed by tall grasses and forbs (left). A pheasant chick forages for insects (right).

While the pheasants had disappeared from the area I frequented, I also noticed another change began at about the same time. Quail numbers had begun to slowly increase. What started out as just a few birds turned into several thanks to a couple of years of good bobwhite hatches in Illinois.

Seeking an explanation for my observation, I reached out to Don Kahl, IDNR Ag and Grassland Wildlife Program Manager.

“The pheasant/quail dynamic at this site is complex, but it is likely your observations in the shifting numbers of birds is due to woody species encroachment increasing over time, reducing the suitability of the habitat for an already limited number of pheasants and increasing the area’s suitability for bobwhite quail,” Kahl explained. “Pheasants like open grasslands and tend to avoid trees and heavy brush, whereas quail thrive in areas with small crop fields mixed with timber, brush and grasslands.”

A male and female pair of bobwhite quail walk across a grass area. The female is to the left and is brown and tan. The male is to the right and is tan, brown, white and black.

That really sums it up. I had paid little attention to the trees getting a little bigger, and the brush getting thicker and taller. What I had thought would be a good thing was hurting the pheasant population but helping the quail.

While the pheasant population had slipped away at the site I often visited, looking at the entire picture it is a win for the quail population. And that is a great thing.

For more information on pheasant and quail habitat management recommendations, visit the IDNR website. Another good resource is the OutdoorIllinois Journal story Pheasant Habitat Areas—Habitat Management, Research and Hunting.

Kevin Wright is an award winning outdoor writer and wildlife photographer whose work has been published in a number of publications and websites throughout the country. He lives and works out of central Illinois.