Bornean Peacock Pheasant
Encyclopedia
The Bornean Peacock-Pheasant, Polyplectron schleiermacheri is a medium-sized, up to 50 cm long, rufous brown and black spotted pheasant
with an elongated crest and nape feathers, black below and bare red skin around bluish iris
eye. The breast sides are metallic blue-green, bordering the white throat and central upper breast. Its twenty-two tail feathers are decorated with large blue-green ocelli, which may be spread fan-like in display. The female is smaller and duller brown than the male. It has a brown iris and no spurs on its feet.
The Bornean Peacock-Pheasant is probably the rarest and certainly the least known of all peacock-pheasants. This elusive bird is distributed and endemic
to lowland
forests of Borneo
.
Together with the phenotypically similar Malayan Peacock-Pheasant and - its sister species -, Palawan Peacock-Pheasant it represents a basal
group in its genus
; their radiation probably took place during the Pliocene
(Kimball et al. 2001).
Being very poorly known, the Bornean Peacock-Pheasant was long considered to be a subspecies
of the Malayan Peacock-Pheasant, but it is well distinct.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, and limited range, the Bornean Peacock-Pheasant is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
with an elongated crest and nape feathers, black below and bare red skin around bluish iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
eye. The breast sides are metallic blue-green, bordering the white throat and central upper breast. Its twenty-two tail feathers are decorated with large blue-green ocelli, which may be spread fan-like in display. The female is smaller and duller brown than the male. It has a brown iris and no spurs on its feet.
The Bornean Peacock-Pheasant is probably the rarest and certainly the least known of all peacock-pheasants. This elusive bird is distributed and endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to lowland
Lowland
In physical geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level. The term is thus applied to the landward portion of the upward slope from oceanic depths to continental highlands, to a region of depression in the interior of a mountainous region, to a plain of denudation, or...
forests of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
Together with the phenotypically similar Malayan Peacock-Pheasant and - its sister species -, Palawan Peacock-Pheasant it represents a basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
group in its genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
; their radiation probably took place during the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
(Kimball et al. 2001).
Being very poorly known, the Bornean Peacock-Pheasant was long considered to be a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Malayan Peacock-Pheasant, but it is well distinct.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, and limited range, the Bornean Peacock-Pheasant is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.