Malayan Peacock-Pheasant
The Malay Peacock-Pheasant (Polyplectron malacense) also known as Crested Peacock-Pheasant or Malaysian Peacock-Pheasant, is a medium-sized pheasant of the galliform family Phasianidae. The closely related Bornean Peacock-Pheasant (P. schleiermacheri) was formerly included here as a subspecies, but as understood today, P. malacense is monotypic.
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| Malayan Peacock-Pheasant |
image source: http://flickr.com/people/26942860@N06
Description
It is one of the shortest-tailed peacock-pheasants. Adult males are about 50 cm long, about half of which is made up by the tail. Their tarsus measures approximately 6.5 cm, and their wings are 20–21 cm long; they weigh from over 600 to nearly 700 g. Their plumage is generally pale brown with small black spots and bands all over, creating the "salt-and-pepper" effect found in most peacock-pheasants. It has iridescent blue-green eyespots with a buff border on its upperwings, back, and on the 22 rectrices, a white throat running down to the center of the breast, and a loose, pointed and upturned dark blue-green crest on its forehead. A bare facial skin surrounds the eyes with their bluish-white iris; usually pink, it becomes bright orange-red during courtship. The bill and legs are blackish.
