Pearl peacock
| Pearl peacock | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pearl peacock ( Rheinardia ocellata ) |
||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||
| Rheinardia | ||||||||
| Maingonnat , 1882 | ||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||
| Rheinardia ocellata | ||||||||
| ( Elliot , 1871) |
The pearl peacock ( Rheinardia ocellata ) is a species from the pheasant-like family. It is the only recent representative in the genus of the pearl peacock and occurs in two subspecies in Southeast Asia.
Appearance
The male reaches a body length of 180 to 235 centimeters. The females, on the other hand, are only 74 to 75 centimeters long. The big difference is due to the extremely long tail feathers of the male. Of the recent bird species, the pearl peacock may have the longest feathers. The middle of the twelve tail feathers can reach a length of 1.5 to 1.7 meters, whereby this feather length is only reached by pearl peacocks, which are between five and six years old.
Overall, the plumage of the pearl peacock is not very conspicuous. The male's neck is maroon. The body plumage, however, is matt dark brown with small ocher-colored and black spots. The head is relatively small. The top of the head and the ear patches are brownish. The feathers on the side of the head are whitish. The chin and throat are gray. The female is not only lacking the long tail feathers. Their plumage is overall more matt and the head of feathers is less pronounced.
Distribution area and habitat
The range of the pearl peacock includes Vietnam, Laos and central Malaysia. On the Malay Peninsula, its distribution area is mainly limited to the Taman Negara National Park . The peacock is not rare locally, but difficult to spot because of its inconspicuous plumage. He is particularly noticeable by the widely audible call of the male.
The habitat of the pearl peacock are predominantly old forests. It occurs at different altitudes. In Vietnam it can be found in primary and secondary forests at altitudes between 100 and 700 meters and on the Da Lat plateau at altitudes between 1,700 and 1,900 meters. On the Malay Peninsula, it is mainly found at altitudes between 800 and 1,000 meters.
Way of life
The pearl peacock is considered to be very alert and shy. At the slightest disturbance he seeks refuge in the thick undergrowth. His lifestyle has therefore not yet been researched very well. Its diet consists of fruits, insects and their larvae, leaves, fruits and occasionally amphibians.
supporting documents
literature
- Steve Madge , Phil McGowan, and Guy M. Kirwan : Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse. A Guide to the Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Grouse, Guineafowl, Buttonquails and Sandgrouse of the world. Christopher Helm, London 2002, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0 .
Single receipts
Web links
- Rheinardia ocellata inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2014.