Ice balls may then form, block the mouth, and the birds will suffocate. Wind can force snow under their feathers, where it is melted by body heat. If their feathers get wet, the insulating value of the pheasants plumage greatly decreases, and the moist feathers quickly radiate body heat. This moisture may refreeze, forming ice beneath the birds' feathers. In these circumstances birds will rapidly lose critical body heat and die.
Ice storms can also pose a threat.
Nevertheless, in most winters the critical factor for pheasant survival is habitat, and given adequate food, the ringneck in North Dakota is almost impervious to the elements.