WhenToBird

Phasianus colchicus · Phasianidae

When Do Ring-necked Pheasants Arrive in Iowa?

Adult male Ring-necked Pheasant
Photo: John Krampl, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ring-necked Pheasants are in Iowa all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (18% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestSep 1-7early September

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 18% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 4.0% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.6% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.0% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.4% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.4% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.4% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.9% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.1% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 18% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.0% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.9% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.2% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.8% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.9% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.1% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.0% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.5% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.5% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.1% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.0% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.0% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.3% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.2% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.3% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.9% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.4% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.2% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.8% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.4% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% of 5113 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Iowa that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Howard CountyBest late June · 13 checklists that week, 334 in all72%
  2. Pocahontas CountyBest early May · 31 checklists that week, 735 in all68%
  3. Sioux CountyBest late April · 65 checklists that week, 1,159 in all62%
  4. Kossuth CountyBest the second week of May · 38 checklists that week, 628 in all59%
  5. Louisa CountyBest mid April · 53 checklists that week, 1,639 in all54%
  6. Franklin CountyBest mid April · 14 checklists that week, 331 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tedesco Environmental Learning Corridor (TELC)Story County, best the second week of May · 31 checklists that week, 969 in all88%
  2. Sycamore WetlandsJohnson County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 526 in all84%
  3. Hendrickson Marsh Wildlife Management AreaStory County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 556 in all83%
  4. Robison Wildlife AcresStory County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 203 in all74%
  5. Bjorkboda MarshHamilton County, best late April · 32 checklists that week, 253 in all72%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Ring-necked Pheasant is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 18% of 11313 checklists7 am: 11% of 25717 checklists8 am: 9.6% of 29755 checklists9 am: 8.2% of 28897 checklists10 am: 7.3% of 26343 checklists11 am: 6.5% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 6.2% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 6.6% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 6.7% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 8.3% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 10% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 13% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 14% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 15% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January4.0%3.6%3.2%4.2%
February4.0%4.1%3.4%4.4%
March5.4%6.9%7.1%10%
April13%16%18%19%
May17%16%17%18%
June16%15%13%11%
July9.0%6.9%6.2%5.8%
August4.9%4.1%4.0%3.5%
September2.6%3.5%4.1%6.0%
October7.0%8.3%8.2%6.3%
November6.9%5.4%4.9%4.2%
December3.8%3.9%4.4%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • Wisconsin: arrives late September, 23 weeks later than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, 5 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives late September, 23 weeks later than Iowa
  • Nebraska: arrives mid February, 6 weeks earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do Ring-necked Pheasants arrive in Iowa?
Ring-necked Pheasants are in Iowa all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (18% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.
When do Ring-necked Pheasants leave Iowa?
Ring-necked Pheasants never fully leave Iowa: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Ring-necked Pheasant in Iowa?
The Ring-necked Pheasant is reported most often in late April, on about 18% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Ring-necked Pheasants seen most often?
By county, Howard County, Pocahontas County, and Sioux County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ring-necked Pheasant (counties with at least 200 checklists).