WhenToBird

Phasianus colchicus · Phasianidae

When Do Ring-necked Pheasants Arrive in North Dakota?

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

Ring-necked Pheasants are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (27% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (late August) they are still on about 5.8% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJul 1-7early July
FewestAug 22-31late August

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by early July. Peak: on about 27% of North Dakota 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. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 11% of 1694 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.4% of 1210 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.4% of 1263 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.7% of 1984 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.9% of 1209 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.9% of 1307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.1% of 1655 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.6% of 1619 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.5% of 1653 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 1818 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 2103 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 3714 checklistsApr 1-7: 15% of 2955 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 3550 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 4104 checklistsApr 22-30: 24% of 5712 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 5328 checklistsMay 8-14: 28% of 5885 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 5344 checklistsMay 22-31: 26% of 7512 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 4329 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 4287 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 3798 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 4361 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 2939 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 2407 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.4% of 2254 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.6% of 2852 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.8% of 2119 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.1% of 2044 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.7% of 2124 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.8% of 3168 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.0% of 2449 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.0% of 2310 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.1% of 2092 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.9% of 2565 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 2071 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 1918 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 1907 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 2589 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 1858 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 1753 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.3% of 1483 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.1% of 1928 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.7% of 1337 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.3% of 1309 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.1% of 1642 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 1830 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hettinger CountyBest early May · 13 checklists that week, 400 in all84%
  2. Sargent CountyBest late December · 20 checklists that week, 894 in all75%
  3. Dunn CountyBest the second week of May · 31 checklists that week, 661 in all69%
  4. Adams CountyBest early June · 28 checklists that week, 683 in all66%
  5. Williams CountyBest early May · 147 checklists that week, 5,446 in all65%
  6. Oliver CountyBest late April · 21 checklists that week, 776 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Des Lacs National Wildlife RefugeWard County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 116 in all85%
  2. Sleepy Hollow/Exchange Club ParkBurleigh County, best mid April · 37 checklists that week, 527 in all83%
  3. Spring Lake ParkWilliams County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 767 in all76%
  4. BOR LandsStark County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 357 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In North Dakota, the Ring-necked Pheasant is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (74) to judge1 am: too few checklists (45) to judge2 am: too few checklists (42) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (274) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1538) to judge6 am: 29% of 4242 checklists7 am: 21% of 9520 checklists8 am: 17% of 13065 checklists9 am: 15% of 13356 checklists10 am: 13% of 12128 checklists11 am: 12% of 10772 checklists12 pm: 11% of 10316 checklists1 pm: 12% of 9169 checklists2 pm: 13% of 8880 checklists3 pm: 14% of 8688 checklists4 pm: 15% of 8201 checklists5 pm: 17% of 6687 checklists6 pm: 18% of 5455 checklists7 pm: 22% of 3926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2024) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (602) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (181) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (89) 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
January11%8.4%7.4%7.7%
February7.9%8.9%8.1%9.6%
March8.5%10%14%12%
April15%17%20%24%
May27%28%25%26%
June26%22%22%21%
July17%14%9.4%9.6%
August7.8%6.1%5.7%5.8%
September6.0%7.0%8.1%8.9%
October11%13%12%11%
November12%11%9.3%9.1%
December8.7%6.3%9.1%11%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than North Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, 6 weeks earlier than North Dakota
  • Nebraska: arrives mid February, 7 weeks earlier than North Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than North Dakota

Common questions

When do Ring-necked Pheasants arrive in North Dakota?
Ring-necked Pheasants are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (27% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (late August) they are still on about 5.8% of checklists.
When do Ring-necked Pheasants leave North Dakota?
Ring-necked Pheasants never fully leave North Dakota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early July, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.8% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Ring-necked Pheasant in North Dakota?
The Ring-necked Pheasant is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 27% of North Dakota checklists.
Where in North Dakota are Ring-necked Pheasants seen most often?
By county, Hettinger County, Sargent County, and Dunn County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ring-necked Pheasant (counties with at least 200 checklists).