Hens are slightly smaller. A hen's plumage is a subtle, camouflaging mixture of brown, black, and gray. In contrast, a rooster's feathers are a beautiful mix of reds, browns, golds and black. Tail feathers of both sexes are brown with black bars. A loud double squawk followed by rapid muffled wingbeats which may or may not be audible, depending on distance.
Hens are normally silent.
They find a lot of their food by scratching through ground litter. Like most birds, ringnecks have sharp senses of hearing and sight. Extremely wary in autumn, they stick to dense cover when hunted heavily. During spring and summer they can be seen strutting across freshly mowed fields and along roadsides. When cornered or surprised, they take to the air.