Species Spotlight: Malayan Peacock Pheasant
Alex Levitskiy
The Species Spotlight is back for the 2015-2016 school year! Over the summer I was fortunate enough to visit stunning private collections of birds. This week’s featured species is one of the most memorable species that I saw: the Malayan Peacock Pheasant (Polyplectron malacense). This pheasant is a member of the the genus that encompasses the Peacock Pheasant species; which are classified by having “many spurs,” as the Latin “polyplectron” implies. The Malayan Peacock Pheasant inhabits central Malaysia in the wild, although it previously had a larger range. Such habitat loss is a contributing factor to the Malayan Peacock Pheasant being listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. It is unfortunate that such a gem of a pheasant does not have a bright future if action is not taken.
The male Malayan Peacock Pheasants has a base coloring of brown that is speckled with black spots. On its back and wings are iridescent green-blue eyespots. The tail feathers are similarly colored, just with two larger ocelli per tail feather. The male of this species also has a large, pointed crest. The hens are much smaller, and overall their plumage is much duller than that of the male. The male attracts his mate by displaying in a manner similar to that of a peacock, by opening up his tail feathers. As with any Peacock Pheasant, they are small, tropical birds that do require heat during the winter months. Unfortunately, the Malayan Peacock Pheasant is one of the rarest pheasants in captivity. They are in dire need of attention, and I commend all of those who are working with this species to keep a population in captivity for the future generations to enjoy.
Photos were taken by Alex Levitskiy of Malayan Peacock Pheasants in Don Butler’s collection in North Carolina.
Malayan Peacock Pheasant male
Profile of a Malayan Peacock Pheasant male
Malayan Peacock Pheasant male
