How Long Do Pheasants Live? (Complete Guide)

The pheasant is a year-round resident of the UK and can be seen in most parts of the country. As in Britain, the common pheasant is found throughout much of Europe and North America.

The most common pheasant, the ring-necked pheasant, is found mainly throughout the countryside, foraging in woodland and hedge edges. So let’s get started, how long do pheasants live?

On average, pheasants live only one to three years. Female pheasants generally have a better chance of surviving to the upper end of this average, but male pheasants generally have a shorter lifespan due to being hunted and shot.

Although pheasants have a short life expectancy, they can easily live to over a decade in captivity, with one male alive today at just 18 years old.

However, the average lifespan does vary depending on the species of pheasant, with species like the Reeves pheasant having a life expectancy of about 9 years in the wild, and the golden pheasant about 5 to 6 years.

Pheasants have a relatively short lifespan, typically only one to three years

What is the typical lifespan of a pheasant?

Typical lifespans for different species of pheasants do vary slightly. Ring-necked pheasants have one of the lowest life expectancy (especially males) due to being hunted.

pheasant lifespan

Most wild pheasants live 1-3 years, but in captivity these birds have been diagnosed to live up to 27 years.

Golden Pheasant Lifespan

In the wild, golden pheasants usually live about 5 years old, but the longest lifespan recorded is 13.4 years old in captivity.

There are rumors that these pheasants can live up to 20 years, which seems plausible.

Reeves Pheasant Lifespan

Reeves pheasants have been recorded to be over 9 years old.

Reeves’ Pheasant

golden pheasant

How long can pheasants live in the wild?

In the wild, the average lifespan of a pheasant is usually between one and three years. Adult females have an annual survival rate between 21-46%, while males have only a 7% chance of surviving.

The marked difference between male and female survival rates has to do with the fact that only males are hunted, which greatly reduces the chances of survival.

Pheasants have many predators in the wild, so those that are not killed during the hunt are usually predated by various birds of prey or mammals such as foxes.

Rooster and hen in breeding season

How long do pheasants live in captivity?

In captivity, pheasants generally have a longer life expectancy, usually between 10 and 18 years. The longest-lived pheasant in captivity has reached 27 years old.

Like other captive birds, pheasants generally live longer because the risks of predation, infection, disease and adverse weather conditions are almost completely eliminated. Food is also readily available, another factor that contributes to longevity.

What is the life cycle of a pheasant?

Most pheasants lay eggs from early April to early June. Nests are very simple, built in tall grass, shrubs or weeds. Each egg is laid approximately every 1.4 days, and a clutch usually contains 7 to 15 eggs.

incubation: It takes about 23 days on average for pheasant eggs to hatch, but in some cases it can take longer, extending up to 28 days. The female pheasant only incubates the eggs.

incubation: The incubation process takes approximately 12 hours. After a few hours of patting, the baby pheasant kicks off a chunk of the shell before emerging into the world. After coming out, the chicks lay quietly in the nest.

Leaving the nest: Newborn pheasant chicks are covered with down and can leave the nest almost instantly with their eyes fully open. Once they leave the nest, they follow the female and are mostly self-sufficient.

Junior stage: Pheasant chicks will begin their juvenile molt at ten days old. They stay with adult females for up to 80 days and become completely independent before they go to their wintering areas.

Adulthood: Pheasants become sexually mature when they are about a year old after hatching. They will then leave and try to establish their own territory, and then try to breed each year.

juvenile pheasant

How do most pheasants die?

One of the most common reasons for predation for male pheasants is being hunted by humans. Females and males that avoid being shot are often preyed on by hawks, hawks, owls and foxes during the winter.

Most pheasants are preyed on in winter, especially after being dispersed from winter cover. Nesting hens (female pheasants) are often predated in the nest during spring and summer, and chicks are often targeted as well.

Before 1950, the success rate of hatching pheasant eggs was more than 50%, but this number has dropped significantly in modern times. One of the main reasons for this is an increase in nest predation.

What are the natural enemies of pheasants?

Pheasant nests and chicks have plenty of predators, as do adults. The main predators of adult pheasants are humans (who hunt male pheasants), birds of prey and mammals such as foxes.

Raptors will take adults off the ground and in flight.

in England

nest predator

In the UK, wild eggs and occasional chicks are preyed mainly by foxes and crows (mainly scavengers). Other den predators include badgers, rats, stoats and hedgehogs.

In a study of pheasant nest predation, factors such as habitat type, time of year, or hen age did not directly affect nest predation rates.

adult pheasant

A large proportion of male pheasants are hunted during shooting season. Female pheasants (hens) are often shot, but less likely overall than males. Outside of hunting season, the main predator of pheasants is the fox.

Common vultures, honey vultures, northern goshawks, northern falcons, and peregrine falcons have been known to attempt and occasionally prey on adults and juvenile pheasants.

pheasant in flight

In the U.S

nest predator

In the United States, nest predators include many bird species, including crows, bluejays, American crows, freckled parrots, and magpies. Foxes, coyotes, badgers, raccoons, and other mammals built nests earlier than pheasants.

Adult and young pheasants are older than:

mammal

• red fox
• Coyotes
• badger
• mink
• weasel
• raccoon

birds

• golden eagle
• eagles
• snake
• snapping turtle
• great horned owl

close up of a pheasant

How big was the oldest pheasant?

The oldest recorded surviving ring-necked pheasant (wild pheasant) is 27 years old.

This age record is referenced in the Animal Aging and Longevity Database.

How long can a pheasant live without food?

During winter, pheasants can live on their large fat reserves for days if desired. But in a few days, the pheasant will most likely start to starve to death.

This act of living off of fat reserves usually only occurs in winter, when food sources are less plentiful.

Female and male pheasants in winter snow

Can pheasants survive the winter?

Most pheasants survive the winter depending on finding suitable and safe winter cover. These winter cover areas are usually nocturnal grasslands and daytime foraging trees and shrubs.

Pheasants accumulate considerable fat reserves, which usually reach their highest point in January.

During harsh winters, pheasants need to burn about 25 percent more energy to survive, meaning they need to find more food while avoiding hungry predators.

Mild weather conditions are an environment in which pheasants thrive, especially during breeding season. The rain helps with the nest cover they need to grow and attracts plenty of insects for the chicks to feed on.