Ring-necked Pheasant
The question remains whether either of these Howard County birds is really a wild bird. From Wesley Earp: “I would be suspect of any bird in the county right now with Phil Muth’s game farm centrally located in Dayton. Especially due to the escape of large numbers of pheasant last winter [2009-2010] due to snow damage to the pen.”
Scrubland (Sykesville)
May 16, 2010
Photo by Felicia Lovelett
Ellicott City (Saint Johns)
March 28, 2010
Photo by Jon Ford
There are game farms in Howard County that raise Ring-necked Pheasants that escape and live on the wild and are not considered native “wild” birds.
While not necessary for common species, it is good to get into the habit of including photographs and recordings/spectrographs so that you do it for uncommon species that require more documentation.