- Malayan Peacock-pheasant
Taxobox
name = Malayan Peacock-pheasant
status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1
trend = down
image_width = 225px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Galliformes
familia =Phasianidae
genus = "Polyplectron "
species = "P. malacense"
binomial = "Polyplectron malacense"
binomial_authority = (Scopoli, 1786)
synonyms ="Pavo malacensis" Scopoli, 1786 "Polyplectron bicalcaratum" ("non" Linnaeus, 1758) "Polyplectron malacense malacense"The Malayan Peacock-pheasant, "Polyplectron malacense" also known as Crested Peacock-pheasant or Malaysian Peacock-pheasant is a medium-sized, up to 53cm long, spotted black, brownishpheasant with an elongated dark blue green crest, bare red facial skin, bluish-white iris and greenocelli on upperbody plumage and its tail of twenty two feathers. The female is smaller and duller than male.A shy and elusive bird, the Malayan Peacock-pheasant is distributed and endemic to
lowland forests ofMalay Peninsula . At one time, this species was widespread inMalaysia ,Thailand and also reported fromMyanmar ,Singapore andSumatra . It is now disappeared from most of its former range. The remaining population confined to central Malaysia.Together with the even more elusive
Bornean Peacock-pheasant - itssister species -, and the more distantly relatedPalawan Peacock-pheasant it represents a basal group in itsgenus ; their radiation probably took place during thePliocene (Kimball "et al." 2001) [Note that themolecular clock calibration method used by Kimball "et al." (2001) is now known to be inappropriate, yielding far too low estimates in galliform birds.] .The former was in earlier times usually considered asubspecies of the present bird Fact|date=February 2007.Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size and limited range, the Malayan Peacock-pheasant is evaluated as Vulnerable on the
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II ofCITES .Gallery
References
* Database entry includes a range map, a brief justification of why this species is vulnerable, and the criteria used
* Kimball, Rebecca T.; Braun, Edward L.; Ligon, J. David; Lucchini, Vittorio & Randi, Ettore (2001): A molecular phylogeny of the peacock-pheasants (Galliformes: "Polyplectron" spp.) indicates loss and reduction of ornamental traits and display behaviours. "Biol. J. Linn. Soc." 73(2): 187–198. [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/els/00244066/2001/00000073/00000002/art90536 HTML abstract]Footnotes
External links
* ARKive - [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/birds/Polyplectron_malacense/ images and movies of the Malayan Peacock-pheasant "(Polyplectron malacense)"]
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=279&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]
* gbwf.org - [http://www.gbwf.org/pheasants/malay_peacock.html Malayan Peacock-pheasant "(Polyplectron malacense)"]
* [http://www.rdb.or.id/detailbird.php?id=220 Red Data Book]
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