Malay mirror peacock
| Malay mirror peacock | ||||||||||
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Portrait of Malay Mirror Peacock |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Polyplectron malacense | ||||||||||
| ( Scopoli , 1786) |
The Malay mirror peacock ( Polyplectron malacense ), also called Malaia mirror peacock or Malayenpfaufasan , is a species of bird belonging to the peacock pheasant genus .
Appearance
Malay mirror peacocks have a wing length between 18 centimeters (females) and 21.5 centimeters (males). Males have significantly longer tail feathers than females. With them, the length of the tail is between 24 and 25 centimeters. Females, on the other hand, only have tails between 18 and 19 centimeters long.
Characteristic of the Malay mirror peacock are the bands of greenish to turquoise eye spots, the size of which increases sharply towards the tail. On the front coat, the bands are not clearly separated from each other. On the top of the head, the male has a feather hood that faces forward. This is one of the characteristics that clearly identify a male Malay mirror peacock as such.
The plumage of the much smaller female is predominantly brown. The throat is a pale gray. Overall, it resembles the female of the Palawan peacock pheasant , but the ranges of these two species do not overlap.
The male's voice is loud, conspicuous and sounds very regular. It is circumscribed onomatopoeically with a "kwock-kwock". The males also occasionally make a series of chuckling sounds that drop in pitch and become quieter.
distribution and habitat
Today the Malay mirror peacock is only found in the lowlands of the Malay Peninsula. Its original range originally extended to the south of Thailand. It is now considered extinct there. The extensive deforestation in the lowlands of Thailand contributed to this.
It has also been suggested on occasion that the Malay mirror peacock was also common on the island of Sumatra in historical times . But this assessment is controversial
300 m height seems to be one of the limits of the range for this species. This peacock pheasant needs forests with dense undergrowth where it can easily find cover. He prefers flat or gently sloping surfaces as living space. He avoids steeper slopes. Males associated with brooding females regularly have territories near watercourses.
Population figures for this species are not available. In suitable habitats there is one male on 9.8 to 15.4 hectares.
Way of life
Like other peacock pheasants, the Malay mirror peacock seems to prefer a diet rich in insects. There is evidence that mast years of certain trees trigger courtship behavior in the Malay mirror peacock. Males present themselves to females in so-called arenas. These are kept largely free of plant material by the male. The largest arena that could be assigned to the Malay mirror peacock so far was two square meters.
The male calls females' attention. The male reacts to an approaching female with ritualized movements. This includes movements such as those derived from plumage care as well as offering food to the female. At the height of courtship behavior, the male shows his strongly ruffled tail feathers. This happens either in front of the female or by the male turning his body side towards the female and turning the bristling tail feathers towards the female.
From captivity observations one concludes that the clutch basically consists of only one egg. However, the females are able to lay an egg every three to four weeks. The egg is incubated by the female for 22 to 23 days. However, both parent birds are involved in feeding and huddling the young bird.
Duration
The habitats of the Malay mirror peacock are threatened by logging. It is believed to have died out in Thailand because the forests of the Thai lowlands were cleared first. Malay mirror peacocks have been observed in five Malay nature reserves. However, the species is classified as endangered and a herd book has been set up to ensure that conservation breeding takes place in which inbreeding depression is avoided as far as possible. In January 1998 this studbook contained 350 birds.
swell
Individual evidence
- ^ Johnsgard, p. 324
- ^ Johnsgard, p. 334
- ↑ a b Johnsgard, p. 325
- ^ Johnsgard, p. 326
- ↑ Johngard, p 328
literature
- Paul Johnsgard: Pheasants of the world - Biology and natural history , Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington 1999, ISBN 1-84037-129-3
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Polyplectron malacense in the Internet Bird Collection
- Polyplectron malacense in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.