Without adequate shelter, pheasants find it difficult to survive blizzards. Caught away from good cover when a blizzard strikes, pheasants often die from freezing or suffocation. Caught in the open during blizzard conditions, they will ordinarily face into the wind to keep snow from penetrating their feathers. Their nasal openings may then freeze over, forcing them to hold their beaks open in order to breathe. 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.