Rothschild peacock pheasant
| Rothschild peacock pheasant | ||||||||||
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Rothschild peacock pheasant |
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| Polyplectron inopinatum | ||||||||||
| ( Rothschild , 1903) |
The Rothschild peacock pheasant ( Polyplectron inopinatum ), also called mirror bronze-tailed pheasant or Rothschild’s mirror peacock , is a species from the pheasant-like family. This species lives in the highlands of the Malay Peninsula . Its habitat includes wooded mountain regions over 1000 m .
Appearance
Rothschild peacock pheasants have a wing length between 17.5 (females) and 25.5 (males) centimeters. There is also a big difference in the length of the tail. The females have tail lengths between 22 and 27.5 centimeters. In males, this is 32 to 40 centimeters. There are numerous dark, iridescent eye-spots on the tail and on the plumage.
Characteristic of the Rothschild peacock pheasant is the lack of a feather hood and the completely feathered face. This clearly distinguishes it from the other representatives of the genus of the peacock pheasant , which regularly have a feather hood, which in several species is also conspicuously directed forward.
The Malay peacock pheasant also occurs in the range of the Rothschild peacock pheasant. However, this specializes in habitats in the lowlands.
Distribution and way of life
Peacock pheasants can be found on the Malay Peninsula at altitudes between 900 and 1800 meters. This, too, clearly distinguishes them from other representatives of the peacock pheasant, which, like the Palawan peacock pheasant or the bronze mirror peacock, can only be found in the dense undergrowth of original forests of the lowlands.
Little is known about life in the wild. The lack of loud calls makes it particularly difficult to observe these animals in the thick undergrowth.
Rothschild's peacock pheasants eat a protein-rich food with a high percentage of insects. Their diet also includes the fruits of certain trees. At night they grow up in trees free of creepers.
The clutch of Rothschild's peacock pheasant apparently regularly consists of two eggs. This also distinguishes this species from other species of peacock pheasant, in which the clutch size is often only one egg. For the Rothschild peacock pheasant it has been discussed whether the males practice sequential polygamy. Observations suggest that the male leaves the female at the time of oviposition in order to find a new partner.
Systematics
According to the ornithologist Paul Johngard, the Rothschilds peacock pheasant is a transition form between the bronze-tailed peacock pheasant and the other, more typical representatives of the peacock pheasant. Compared to these other peacock pheasant species, the iridescent eye spots are almost inconspicuous. This also applies to behavior. The Rothschilds' peacock pheasant presents its body side to the female and turns its bristling plumage towards it. A frontal presentation, such as can be observed in the gray peacock pheasant , has not yet been developed for this species.
swell
Individual evidence
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 on Polyplectron inopinatum in the Internet Bird Collection
- Polyplectron inopinatum inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.