Declining Survival of Ring-Necked Pheasant Chicks in Illinois Agricultural Ecosystems

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Abstract
The mean number of ring-necked pheasant (P. colchicus) chicks in broods observed annually along standardized census routes in Illinois declined from 1946 to 1981. The average number of chicks per hatched nest did not change (P > 0.05) during the 1954-1981 period. The survival of chicks to 5-6 wk of age was 78% during the early 1950''s, 71% during 1956-1959, 64% during 1960-1964, 61% during 1965-1969, 51% during 1970-1974, and 54% during 1975-1981. Mean survival of chicks from hatch to early Aug. declined about 28% between the early 1950''s and the mid-1970''s. The hectares of Illinois farmland annually receiving hydrochlorinated compounds, 1956-1981, were not correlated (P > 0.05) with mean brood size. The hectares of row crops over the entire Illinois pheasant range (1956-1980) and near Sibley (1954-1981) were significantly (P < 0.001) correlated with observed brood sizes and were associated with about 60% of the variation in mean brood size.

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