South Dakota State Bird, Ring-neck Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) from NETSTATE.COM (original) (raw)

Adoption of the South Dakota State Bird

Originally from China, the ring-necked pheasant was adopted as the official state bird of South Dakota on February 13, 1943.

About the South Dakota State Bird

Although many earlier attempts were made, the first successful introduction of ring-necked pheasants in South Dakota occurred in 1908. Adjoining farmers, A.E. Cooper and E.L. Ebbert, released birds into the wild south of Doland in Spink County. In 1911, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks released approximately 250 pairs in Spink and Beadle counties.

The South Dakota Statutes

The following information is excerpted from the South Dakota Statutes, Title 1, Chapter 6, Section 1-6-9.

TITLE 1 - STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT.
CHAPTER 6. STATE EMBLEMS.
SECTION 1-6-9.

1-6-9. State bird. The ring-neck pheasant is hereby designated and adopted as the official state bird of the State of South Dakota.

Source: SL 1943, ch 272; SDC Supp 1960, § 55.0110.

Additional Information

Ring-necked Pheasant: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds.

State Bird List: List of all of the state birds.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America: Peterson Field Guide: Roger Tory Peterson.

State Birds & Flowers 1000-pc Puzzle: Created at the request of The National Wildlife Federation this design is a beautiful and informative puzzle featuring every state bird perched on the appropriate state flower.

Bird Feeders and Accessories: Backyard Birding > Bird Feeders & Accessories from Amazon.com.

State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002

State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols: A Study based on historical documents giving the origin and significance of the state names, nicknames, mottoes, seals, flowers, birds, songs, and descriptive comments on the capitol buildings and on some of the leading state histories, Revised Edition - George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938 (Reprint Services Corp. 1971)

Source: South Dakota Statutes, (http://legis.state.sd.us/statutes/index.cfm?FuseAction=StatutesTitleList), April 14, 2005
Source: South Dakota State web site, (http://www.state.sd.us/), April 14, 2005
Source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002
Source: State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols: Revised Edition (Reprint)- George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938