September - Pheasants - Texas Wildlife Association

Texas Wildlife Association presents....
September 2012
Kid’s Quarterly Mini-Mag!
Vol. 6 No. 3
P o s t c a r d s f r o m N a n c y . . . By Carolyn Bierschwale
Howdy, Friends!
I am traveling along the dusty roads of the Texas
Panhandle - a narrow, rectangular area of our state’s
northernmost counties shaped similar to the handle of a
cooking pan. Bordered by Oklahoma to the north and east,
and by New Mexico to the west, this versatile region boasts
over 81,000 square miles of grassy prairies, winding rivers,
and colorful canyons. Major cities in this area include Amarillo
and Lubbock, and I learned in my travel guide that the flat,
grassy plains of this area are actually a part of the expansive
Great Plains of the Central United States!
With me on this trip is
my dear grandfather, Papa
Nineband, who planned a
special fishing excursion for
us at Lake Meredith National
Recreation Area. Papa and I
enjoy spending time together
by boating and fishing on the
beautiful rivers and lakes of Texas. I learn so many new things
as we drift slowly and patiently along the water in our boat,
exchanging fish stories and tall tales. Lake Meredith, a manmade lake formed in 1965 when the Sanford Dam was built
on the Canadian River, is located about 45 miles northeast
of Amarillo. This hidden oasis offers cool waters, beautiful
canyon scenery, and recreation amid the dry, dusty plains.
Earlier this morning, as we were preparing our rods and
reels for some good bass fishing, I opened up Papa’s tackle
box and noticed a few fuzzy, colorful lures that I had never
seen before.
“Papa, what are those neat-looking lures for?” I asked.
“Those lures there are called flies, and I use them when
I go fly fishing in the running waters of the Guadalupe and
Blanco Rivers,” he replied.
“Ew, gross!” I exclaimed. “Those are dead flies??” I
Attention Teachers:
Free class sets available while they last!
Send your name, school name,
grade taught, and mailing address to
hholdsworth@texas-wildlife.org
jumped back from the tackle box in disgust and almost
tipped the boat over.
Papa helped me back to my seat and steadied the boat.
“Oh no, my silly Grand-dillo,” he said. “Those flies are actually
made out of feathers and string. They are imitations of real
flies. They work best as bait for fly fishing.”
I blushed as I made the connection and said, “So that’s
why it’s called fly fishing. How in the world do you tie such
small feathers together, and how many birds are out running
around with naked behinds?”
With a chuckle Papa explained, “Well, it’s called fly tying,
and it’s done by carefully binding various materials to a
hook. I reckon it also takes a bit of an artistic mind to make
them look like delicious fish food. These flies are made from
pheasant feathers, which are commonly used because of
their mixture of colors and patterns.”
As I picked out a fly to study closely, I said, “Wow, I guess
in a way they’re not actually gross, but kind of pretty. I’ve
only seen pictures of pheasants, but I recall noticing roosterlike birds with shiny, colorful plumage. Their patterns and
color prints remind me of some of the dressy hats and outfits
that movie stars wear.”
Papa added, “If my old mind remembers correctly, Texas
is home to some Ring-necked Pheasants, and Lake Meredith
is a good place to spot one. Why don’t we try and sneak a
peek at some this afternoon?”
We were able to catch a glimpse of and hear the calls
from a few male Ring-necked
Pheasants. Who knew you could
learn about birds while fishing?
That’s Papa for you, though.
Catch you “on the fly” next
time!
Nancy Nine-band
Critter Connections is made
possible by a grant from the
San Antonio Livestock
Exposition.
Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department (TPWD) have joined forces to offer
youth hunts that are safe, educational and very affordable.
We sponsor introductory, instructive youth hunts for
deer, turkey, hogs, javelina, exotics, dove, small game,
waterfowl, varmints and other species. Normally, we
provide mentors, lodging and meals.
Our Mission
The Texas Youth Hunting Program
was established to increase the number
of youth participating in wildlife
and hunting activities and to promote
the hunting heritage in Texas.
Our Goals
3To
3To
3To
3To
3To
3To
preserve the hunting heritage in Texas for present and future generations.
instill in youth a basic understanding of practical conservation measures.
encourage wildlife habitat access, enhancement and management.
teach the basic skills, values, techniques and responsibilities of hunting.
promote the highest ethical standards in hunting.
give our youth an initial, positive, safe, educational, mentored hunting experience
To participate in the Texas Youth Hunting Program, you must ...
3Be 9 to 17 years old.
3Complete and submit the Texas Youth Hunting Program Application at www.texasyouthhunting.com
To hunt with TYHP, youth must ...
3Complete the Hunter Education Program for Texas or another state and be able to provide a copy of your
to hunt with TYHP, regardless of age. Call Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (800) 792-1112 for more
information and a schedule of upcoming Hunter Education Courses in your area.
3Have a valid Texas hunting license and appropriate tags or stamps when required.
3Be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
3Complete a TYHP Hunting Application that lists your choice of hunts by priority. Select hunts by Hunt Number
from Hunt Schedules available through the website.
3Complete the TYHP forms located in the Youth Hunter Documents section of the website. Completed
documents must be brought to your hunt!
3Submit your Hunt Fee, as instructed, to secure your position when you are selected for a youth hunt.
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Pheasant along
g
fenceline byy
Wyman Meinzer
er
Feathery Fun
Directions: Find and circle each word from the list.
Place all remaining letters, in order, on the dashes
below to reveal a fun fact.
ASIA
CAMOUFLAGE
DIMORPHISM
FARMLAND
FLUSHING
GAMEBIRD
OMNIVORE
PANHANDLE
PLUMAGE
PRAIRIE
Close-up of tail feather
by Russell Graves
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __,
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ !
Answer on page 6
Kids Sp
tlight
Questionnaire
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Submitted by Grandpa and
What is your full name? Bryson Tyler Henke
TWA Member, Carl Willms;
What city/town do you live in? Kingsville, Texas
Photos courtesy of
Bryson’s family
How old are you? 9 years old
What grade are you in? 4th grade
What is your favorite school subject? Why? Math, because I like numbers,
counting, adding, subtracting, and problem solving.
6. What is your least favorite school subject? Why? History, because there is a lot
of wars and people that I have to remember instantly when I am called on.
7. What are some of your hobbies? I like playing baseball, inventing and building
things, and catching fish in the pond.
8. What is your favorite outdoor activity? Fishing
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? That’s easy… I want to be an
engineer so I can create and invent.
10. Who is your “hero”? My Paw-Paw (Grandpa), because he teaches me how
to build things, fishes, and he likes my help.
11. If you were granted one wish, what would you wish for? For a giant pack
of tools, and for no more people poaching endangered animals.
12. Describe yourself in three words. Smart, playful, and creative
13. What is the best way for kids to get involved with the outdoors? To know
that outdoor activities, like fishing, are better than indoor games because you
use your whole body and have more fun.
3
give it a try!
puzzles.....mazes.....oh my! go ahead.....
corner
c
r
i
t
t
e
r
Fashionable
Pheasants
Photo by Grady Allen
By Carolyn Bierschwale
Throughout the world, bird feathers have been used to add color and
texture to art, crafts, fashion, and fishing. The many interesting shapes and
patterns of pheasant feathers have been the inspiration
of some artists’ paintings, jewelry designs, various
decorations, and innovative creations that look like fishcatching insects. Historically, the royal men and women
of
countries
like France and
England adorned
their hats with the
long,
banded
tail feathers and
brightened their
of pheasant plumage
scarves with other Close-up
by David Croad (Wikimedia)
small, iridescent
feathers. Even today, they are used as “hair jewelry,”
and a feathered hat still symbolizes prestige and high
fashion.
Originating in China and East Asia, the Ring-necked
Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) was introduced to North
America in the mid-1800’s, and then to Texas in the
1930’s. Sometimes called the Common Pheasant, it is
considered extremely successful as an introduced (nonnative) species, which means that it has been able to
adapt to new environments and survive. Pheasants are
classified in the same order as turkeys, chickens, and other
gamebirds, a group of mainly ground-dwelling birds that
are most useful to humans as a food source. They are
also an economic resource for landowners who manage
their land for the birds for hunting.
Pheasants are non-migrant and found throughout farmlands,
prairies, and bushy woods of the Texas Panhandle region, and one
small population also lives near Anahuac in East Texas. Though
breeding and introduction programs exist to strengthen the numbers of
pheasants in Texas, populations generally stay small and concentrated.
Nevertheless, these birds continue to thrive with the help from private
stocking and releases, and pheasant hunting remains very popular.
Some sites in the Texas Panhandle to watch for these birds include
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Muleshoe National Wildlife
Refuge, and Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Physical Features: Pretty Boys
Like other gamebirds, the Ring-necked Pheasant has a plump
body like a football, small head, and short, rounded wings. The bill
is short and curved slightly and the stout feet are strong and good for
traveling along the land, digging for food, and building nests in the
ground. The females can reach
Female (left) and
two feet in length and the males, male (right) pheasants
with the help of extra-long tail
by Grady Allen
feathers, can reach up to three
feet.
Most
photographs
and
drawings of the Ring-necked
Pheasant present an image of an
upright and alert gamebird with
an emerald green and glossy
purple head, stark white collar,
and shimmering bronze body with fine, dark markings. In the world
of fashion, this bird would be a contender on the male model runway.
Like many species of birds, the male pheasant is more colorful and
“dressy” so that he can attract a female. He also has longer, barred
tail feathers and a white ring around his neck. As extra decoration, the
male has bright red, featherless patches around his eyes. On the other
hand, the female pheasant is a drab, mottled brown so that she may
be camouflaged when nesting. This difference in the size and color
of males and females is called dimorphism (di- means ”double” and
-morph means “form”).
Diet: Scratchin’ for Supper
Because pheasants are ground-dwellers, they must find their food
by digging and scratching in the earth and undergrowth with their
strong feet. They are omnivores and eat plant parts, as well as insects
and an occasional small invertebrate. In the summer, pheasants
gather weed seeds, berries, and ground insects. In the winter, they
eat mostly seeds, plant shoots and buds, and waste grain from crops.
Behaviors: Bursts and Boasts
Pheasants have powerful flight muscles designed for rapid
movement (flushing) or escape from danger or predators like foxes,
raccoons, skunks, hawks, owls, and humans. Like an athletic sprinter,
who can burst into top speed for short distances, pheasants will launch
themselves quickly into the air with a
flurry of brisk wing beats. With these
flight “explosions,” they can travel over
small areas at a time. However, unlike
a marathon runner who can maintain
strength over long distances, these flight
muscles are not designed to
support their heavy bodies
for extended flying.
Male pheasants are
typically heard before
they are seen, crowing a
harsh krahh-krawk!
This
Flushing pheasant by Wyman Meinzer
loud, rooster-like call is
usually followed by a quiet
humming of wings and can be heard echoing around farmlands,
brushy parks, and grasslands. When flushed or running, the birds
will make a hoarse ka-ka-ka, ka-ka sound.
Immature pheasant
by Grady Allen
Nesting: Mama’s Hiding Power
In a breeding group, one male pheasant is usually found with
several females, or hens. Before she lays her eggs, the female
will dig a shallow hole in the ground among vegetation, under
piles of branches and leaves, or next to a
Pheasant in stalk field
log. Similar to the padding in a baby’s crib,
by Wyman Meinzer
this nest is lined with plant material like grass
and leaves for extra warmth and protection.
A typical clutch (group of eggs) contains
10-12 olive-brown eggs which the hen will
incubate for up to 25 days. Because of her
drab, camouflaged coloring, the female
pheasant is able to provide additional
hiding,
cover,
Camouflaged hen
and
protection
by Grady Allen.jpg
from danger, like
predators.
Even
after the eggs
hatch, the young
are cared for and
led to food by the
hen, rarely with any help from the male. Young
birds have a high mortality (death) rate, but
survivors will stay with the hen for 6-7 weeks until
mature enough to leave.
Sources:
Arnold, Keith A. and Gregory Kennedy. Birds of Texas. Auburn, WA: Lone Pine Publishing, 2007.
Burnie, David and Don E. Wilson. Animal. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 2001.
Kaufman, Kenn. Kaufman Focus Guides – Birds of North America. New York, NY: Hillstar Editions, L.C., 2000.
“Ring-necked Pheasant.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 1996-2012. Web. 13 July 2012.
<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ring-necked-pheasant/>
Whitfield, Dr. Philip. The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Animals. Great Britain: Marshall Publishing, 1998.
Pheasant next to hay by Russell Graves
Did you know...
…that of all birds, the Ring-necked Pheasant is one of the world’s
d’ss m
most
ost
os
hunted, especially for food?
…that young pheasants can learn to fly within two weeks?
heir tte
errrriittor
oryy??
…that vicious battles can break out between males defending th
their
territory?
n, Ko
K
re
ea,
…that this widely-introduced bird can be found in China, Japan,
Korea,
New Zealand, North America, and Europe?
ota
a?
…that the Ring-necked Pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota?
ess pe
er hho
ouurr?
…that when flushed, pheasants can fly up to a speed of 48 miles
per
hour?
Males defending territory by
Grady Allen
Fine closeup of pheasant by Wyman Meinzer
Color Me
Ring-Necked Pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
Green head
Colorful
plumage
Long, barred
tail
White
collar
Naked, red
face patches
Bronze
underparts
Male Ring-necked Pheasant by Grady Allen
Puzzle Answer: On flat ground, pheasants can
run at speeds of eight to ten miles per hour!
image from supercoloring.com
6
Unfeathered
legs
Article and Photos By Rose Cooper
sunflower, it is actually a
composite, or combination,
of many separate flowers on
one flower head. The plants
found in this family can have
both disc flowers, which are
small and tubular-shaped,
and ray flowers which have
a ligule that looks very similar
to a petal. Some plants in this
family have all ray flowers
and no disc flowers, like
dandelions. While others can
have just disc flowers and no
ray flowers, like thistles and
artichokes.
Did you know that sunflowers
come from the same plant
family as artichokes? They
are actually both found in
the Asteraceae family. The
family name comes from
the Greek word aster, which
means star. Another name
for this family of plants is
Compositae. This name is still
used by some botanists and
actually describes the family
rather well. For instance,
even though it is called a
Sun Lovers
The scientific name for the annual sunflower is Helianthus annuus. The species name, annuus, refers
to how the plant grows annually, which means it dies at the end of the growing season. Helianthus is
derived from the Greek words Helios, referring to the Greek sun god, and anthos, meaning flower.
Not only do these flowers look like the sun, they actually turn their heads to the sun as it moves across
the sky. This is called heliotropism and refers to the movement of plants to the direction of the sun. In
the morning, the young flowers and leaves face the east and bend, or twist, slightly throughout the
day until they are facing west in the evening. During the night they untwist and begin to follow the
sun the next morning. As the plant matures, this heliotropic movement tends to stop.
A Composite of Flowers
Annual sunflower has 20 to 25 yellow ray flowers which look like petals and are found on the outer edge of the flower head.
The numerous reddish to purplish inner flowers are called disc flowers. If you look closely at them, you can see that they actually
have their own petal-like appendages, though they are very small. While you’re looking, notice a spiral pattern in the disc
flowers. This pattern, with some spirals swirling one way and shorter spirals going the other, allows the flower head to pack in as
many achenes, or seeds, as it can by changing the angle of the achene. It would be like stacking as many diamond shapes as
you can into a circle. Many plants in the Asteraceae family have this spiral pattern.
Beneficial in More Ways Than One
Annual sunflowers have been used by the Native Americans for hundreds years. They used the flowers to make yellow, black
and purple dyes in their artistry. They also used the flower, the hairy stems and leaves, and even the taproot for different
medicines. Native Americans ate the seeds raw, roasted, ground, and dried. They also used the oil for cooking. The oil from
sunflower seeds is still used today to prepare food, but it is also being used in the production of biodiesel fuel. Can you imagine a
car using sunflower oil instead of gas? That would
take a lot of sunflowers!
Annual sunflowers are grown in gardens for their
striking flowers and to attract songbirds that will
pick the seeds out of the flower head. People
who enjoy butterflies will plant them for the larvae
of the Bordered Patch, Gorgone Checkerspot,
Silvery Checkerspot and the Painted Lady. They
are beneficial to other wildlife as well, such as
white-tailed deer that browse the leaves and
small mammals, like ground squirrels and mice
that eat the seeds. Game birds, like quail, doves,
turkeys and pheasants also relish the seeds.
7