Mountain Peacock Pheasant
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| Polyplectron inopinatum Rothschild, 1903 |
The Mountain Peacock Pheasant, Polyplectron inopinatum also known as Rothschild's Peacock Pheasant or Mirror Pheasant is a medium-sized, up to 65cm long, blackish brown pheasant with small ocelli and long graduated tail feathers. Both sexes are similar. The male has metallic blue ocelli on upperparts, green ocelli on tail of twenty feathers and two spurs on legs. Female has black ocelli on upperparts, unspurred legs and tail of eighteen feathers. The female is smaller and duller than male.
A shy and elusive bird, the Mountain Peacock Pheasant is distributed and endemic to mountain forests of central Malay Peninsula. The diet consists mainly of berries, beetles and ants.
Due to small population size and ongoing habitat lost, the Mountain Peacock Pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Malaysia.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Polyplectron inopinatum. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 31 October 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable
