Ring-necked Pheasant State Bird of South Dakota

Reviewed byClara WhitcombReader-facing editorial lead · Updated Apr 25, 2026

State profile

Why the Ring-necked Pheasant fits South Dakota

The Ring-necked Pheasant feels like a natural fit for South Dakota because it belongs to grain country, shelterbelts, prairie grass, and cattail-lined farm edges. Whether you notice it around Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge or in an ordinary neighborhood yard, the species reflects the parts of South Dakota people actually see and hear, not a remote corner of the map.

Quick Answer

The state bird of South Dakota is the Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), designated in 1943.

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Why South Dakota Chose the Ring-necked Pheasant

South Dakota designated the Ring-necked Pheasant in 1943 because of its deep tie to South Dakota farm country and its long-standing place in the state's open-field identity and hunting culture. It was a practical symbolic choice: familiar to residents, visible across much of the state, and easy to connect with local schools, gardens, farms, parks, or conservation culture.

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About the Ring-necked Pheasant

Males are striking, with a green head, white neck ring, coppery body, and long pointed tail, while females are mottled buff-brown and much harder to spot. In South Dakota, it looks especially at home across grain country, shelterbelts, prairie grass, and cattail-lined farm edges.

Ring-necked Pheasants run through grass and stubble, flush explosively when pressured, and depend on a mix of nesting cover, grain fields, and winter shelter. It uses farm country, shelterbelts, grasslands, and weedy field edges well, which helps explain why the bird feels familiar well beyond protected areas.

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Where to See the Ring-necked Pheasant in South Dakota

In South Dakota, start with Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Pierre National Grassland, and Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge. Scan grassy field margins and roadside cover, especially where grain fields meet cattails or thick shelterbelts. Dawn and late afternoon are usually best because pheasants move between feeding and cover with less heat shimmer and traffic. These kinds of places match the bird's preferred mix of farm country, shelterbelts, grasslands, and weedy field edges.

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Conservation

The Ring-necked Pheasant is currently listed as LC. Pheasant numbers rise or fall with grass cover, winter severity, and how much nesting habitat remains in intensively farmed country.

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Explore the collection

All 50 State Birds

All 50 US states have designated official state birds. The most commonly chosen are the Northern Cardinal and the Western Meadowlark.

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Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the South Dakota state bird?

Good starting points include Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Pierre National Grassland, and Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge. Scan grassy field margins and roadside cover, especially where grain fields meet cattails or thick shelterbelts.

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Source citations

How this state-bird page is sourced

State-bird pages separate official-symbol facts, bird data, and editorial prose so a correction can target the right layer.

State designation facts from the KTP state-bird data contract and page data.
Taxonomy, measurements, family, and conservation fields from structured pipeline data.
Editorial prose reviewed against KTP rules for no invented numbers and no field-certainty claims from generated art.

Correction log

Official state-symbol details are corrected at the state-bird data source, then republished into PAGE_DATA.
Bird measurements, family labels, and conservation fields are corrected in the structured species pipeline rather than patched in prose.
Generated prose is revised only after the owning data fields and section contract are confirmed.

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