Palawan Peacock Pheasant

Palawan peacock ocelli

Scientific name: Polyplectron emphanum
Family: Numididae
Order: Galliformes
Class: Aves

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

It is considered to be the most beautiful of the peacock species. The male has a long metallic blue crest with white lines above and below the eye. The rest of the head, under parts, and flight feathers are black. The mantle and wing coverts are metallic blue with purple reflections. Its back, rump, and tail are black with rusty brown spots. The upper tail coverts and broad tail feathers have metallic ocelli bordered by black and gray. The male also has two to three spurs on each leg. The female is smaller, with no spurs. She has a crest that is brown and isn't as visible as the male. The face and throat is whitish and the tail feathers has large purple ocelli. The bills are black and the feet are brown in both sexes. The male is attractively colored to attract a female.

DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT:

The Palawan Peacock Pheasant is endemic to the Palawan Island in the Central Philippines where it is quite uncommon. They inhabit the island's humid, coastal lowland and deep forests. Several habitat sites are known to exist in the central mountain range.

BEHAVIOR:

They are very shy, but adapt and breed well in confinement. The male struts and displays to the female with courtship feeding by spreading the feathers of its lower neck and mantle, and bobbing its head with a small piece of food in its beak. The male will drop the food in sight of the female and if she takes the food, the male will make a lateral posture that best shows off all the ocelli on the tail and tail coverts. The crest is then erected and pointed forward. The male also makes a hissing sound while he walks in circles around the female.

DIET:

The diet in the wild consists of a variety of seeds, grains, nuts, fruit, leaves, roots, slugs, worms, and insects.

Listen to the Palawan Peacock.

BREEDING and NESTING:

Males reach sexual maturity at about 1 year of age. They often don't breed until 3 years of age, when they can compete successfully for females with other Palawan Peacock Pheasants. The females reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age.

Nesting may occur in a tree or on the ground. There are two off-white eggs per clutch that are incubated by the hen for about 18-20 days. The males do not incubate, but they help with the feeding and rearing of the chicks.

Newly hatched chicks are fed beak-to-beak by their parents. In a few days, the chicks will be able to leave the safety of their hidden nest and feed on open ground. At about 10 weeks of age, the young can survive by themselves.

STATUS:

The Palawan Peacock Pheasant is an endangered species because of limited range and declining habitat. It is becoming increasingly restricted to the island's mountains. The present population is estimated at less than 10,000 and is thought to be declining. Bird trading and hunting for food still continues. St. Paul's Subterranean River National Park is a refuge to protect these birds.

A conservation initiative proposed by The World Conservation Union, Birdlife International, and the Species Survival Commission recommends that people should conduct surveys to identify suitable habitat, that are mainly in the south part of the island. Another way to preserve the species is to control hunting and the bird trade more effectively and carefully manage the captive population to minimize loss of genetic diversity. Last of all, to initiate government-supported educational campaign focused on protecting habitat and endangered wildlife.

Wild Population: Less than 10,000.

(Mahalo to Leeward Community College's Zoology 101 Class for their contribution)