Bronze-tailed Peacock Pheasant
Encyclopedia
The Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant, Polyplectron chalcurum is also known as the Sumatran Peacock-Pheasant. It is an Indonesia
n bird
.
with dark grey legs, rather small head and long, narrow tail of sixteen feathers. The tail feathers are chestnut brown with metallic purplish bars near tips. Both sexes are similar. The male has longer tail, two spurs on legs and yellow iris
while the unspurred female's is dark brown.
and the genus Polyplectron
, which consists of seven peacock-pheasant species
. There are two subspecies:
mtDNA cytochrome b
and D-loop
as well as the nuclear
ovomucoid intron
G data confirms that this species belongs to a clade
together with the Mountain Peacock-Pheasant, but also the mainland species Germain's Peacock-Pheasant and Grey Peacock-Pheasant
(Kimball et al. 2001).
The molecular data suggests - though not with high confidence - that this species diverged relatively recently from ancestral Grey Peacock-Pheasants. This is quite spurious, since biogeography
, its peculiarly derived plumage, and the fact that it is an insular mountain endemic indicate it is derived from a comparatively small founder population; this would confound molecular analyses. What seems clear is that the present species evolved
from mainland Southeast Asian stock, probably during the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene
(3.6-1 mya). The loss of ocelli thus is, contrary to long-held opinion, an autapomorphy
, and the southern species of this clade - formerly separated in the genus Chalcurus - are probably not each other's closest relatives.
n endemic
, the Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant inhabits to mountain forests of west Sumatra
.
, this elusive bird is shy and very wary. But unlike other peacock-pheasants, it has no ocelli. Unusually for Galliformes, pairs of this species move around together not only on foot, but also in the air, in the manner of dove
s.
of Threatened Species.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
.
Description
The Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant is a small, up to 56 cm long, dark brown pheasantPheasant
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 dark grey legs, rather small head and long, narrow tail of sixteen feathers. The tail feathers are chestnut brown with metallic purplish bars near tips. Both sexes are similar. The male has longer tail, two spurs on legs and yellow 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...
while the unspurred female's is dark brown.
Taxonomy and evolution
The Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant belongs to the family PhasianidaePhasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
and the genus Polyplectron
Polyplectron
The peacock-pheasants are a bird genus, Polyplectron, of the family Phasianidae, consisting of eight species. They are colored inconspicuously, relying on heavily on crypsis to avoid detection. When threatened, peacock-pheasants will alter their shapes utilising specialised plumage that when...
, which consists of seven peacock-pheasant species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. There are two subspecies:
- P. c. chalcurum, described by Lesson in 1831, which is known as the Southern Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant.
- P. c. scutulatum, described by Hoogerwerf in 1941, which is known as the Northern Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant.
mtDNA cytochrome b
Cytochrome b
Cytochrome b/b6 is the main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes. In addition, it commonly refers to a region of mtDNA used for population genetics and phylogenetics.- Function :...
and D-loop
D-loop
In molecular biology, a displacement loop or D-loop is a DNA structure where the two strands of a double-stranded DNA molecule are separated for a stretch and held apart by a third strand of DNA. The third strand has a base sequence which is complementary to one of the main strands and pairs with...
as well as the nuclear
Nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA, nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid , is DNA contained within a nucleus of eukaryotic organisms. In mammals and vertebrates, nuclear DNA encodes more of the genome than the mitochondrial DNA and is composed of information inherited from two parents, one male, and one female, rather than...
ovomucoid intron
Intron
An intron is any nucleotide sequence within a gene that is removed by RNA splicing to generate the final mature RNA product of a gene. The term intron refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene, and the corresponding sequence in RNA transcripts. Sequences that are joined together in the final...
G data confirms that this species belongs to a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
together with the Mountain Peacock-Pheasant, but also the mainland species Germain's Peacock-Pheasant and Grey Peacock-Pheasant
Grey Peacock-pheasant
The Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Polyplectron bicalcaratum also known as Burmese Peacock is a large Southeast Asian member of the order Galliformes. It is rather closely related to the peafowl , and like these – and like most other Polyplectron – has brilliant eyespots on its plumage...
(Kimball et al. 2001).
The molecular data suggests - though not with high confidence - that this species diverged relatively recently from ancestral Grey Peacock-Pheasants. This is quite spurious, since biogeography
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
, its peculiarly derived plumage, and the fact that it is an insular mountain endemic indicate it is derived from a comparatively small founder population; this would confound molecular analyses. What seems clear is that the present species evolved
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
from mainland Southeast Asian stock, probably during the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene
Early Pleistocene
Calabrian is a subdivision of the Pleistocene Epoch of the Geologic time scale. ~1.8 Ma.—781,000 years ago ± 5,000 years, a period of ~.The end of the stage is defined by the last magnetic pole reversal and plunge in to an ice age and global drying possibly colder and drier than the late Miocene ...
(3.6-1 mya). The loss of ocelli thus is, contrary to long-held opinion, an autapomorphy
Autapomorphy
In cladistics, an autapomorphy is a distinctive anatomical feature, known as a derived trait, that is unique to a given terminal group. That is, it is found only in one member of a clade, but not found in any others or outgroup taxa, not even those most closely related to the group...
, and the southern species of this clade - formerly separated in the genus Chalcurus - are probably not each other's closest relatives.
Distribution and habitat
An IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n 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....
, the Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant inhabits to mountain forests of west Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
.
Behavior
As with other member in the genusGenus
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...
, this elusive bird is shy and very wary. But unlike other peacock-pheasants, it has no ocelli. Unusually for Galliformes, pairs of this species move around together not only on foot, but also in the air, in the manner of dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s.
Conservation
The Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red ListIUCN 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.