Palawan peacock pheasant

Scientific name: Polyplectron napoleonis

Country: Philippines

Continent: Asia

Diet: Seeds - granivore, nuts - nucivore, roots - radicivore, insects - insectivore, snails - molluscivore

Food & feeding: Omnivore

Habitats: Tropical rainforest

Conservation status: Vulnerable

Relatives: European pheasant, golden pheasant

Description: The male peacock pheasant has a distinctive high pointed crest on its metallic-green head and a tail that it uses to display to the female. Each leg has two powerful spurs. The feathers are lustrous iridescent blue and grey. The female is much less showy as it is primarily brown in colour, with a smaller crest, a shorter tail and no leg spurs. The Palawan peacock pheasant is named after its island of origin and the peacock eyes found on its tail feathers. Males are about 50 cm long and females are 40 cm.

Lifestyle: The pheasant is shy and wary so it can be difficult to spot it in its native habitat. Much of the time is spent on the forest floor looking for a range of different foods. In captivity, it usually becomes quite tame and displays freely, showing off its magnificent tail and wings.

Family & friends: Little is known about the social life of Palawan peacock pheasants, although spurs on the legs of males suggest that they are aggressive towards one another.

Keeping in touch: Probably the best way to find this species in the wild is to listen for its call, a loud and persistent 'angk'. The male's stunning plumage is a way of showing that he is a sexually mature, fit and worthy mate for her. When showing off to a female he walks in small circles, making a hissing sound. In addition to using their plumage, males attract females by offering them tasty morsels of food (called courtship feeding). He presents these to females that stop to watch his plumage display. Should they accept, he continues further with his fantastic plumage display. It's the pheasant equivalent of taking your girlfriend to a great restaurant!

Growing up: The incubation period is only 19 days (other peacock pheasants are 21-22 days) and the male (like other pheasants) takes no part in the incubation or rearing of the young. The young, after a few days are able to find their own food in the forest, although the mother continues to guard them for several weeks.

Conservation news: Their native island of Palawan in the Philippines has been exploited for timber and for mineral mining and this poses the main threat to the pheasant.

The species first came into captivity in 1929 in California and aviculturists (bird breeders and rearers) quickly succeeded in breeding them, although they are still comparatively rare in zoos and bird gardens. The Palawan peacock pheasant is part of a European Endangered Species Programme.