Palawan Peacock-Pheasant
Polyplectron napoleonis
The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis) is a legendary partridges, pheasants, grouse, and alli found only in the Philippines, weighing about 375 g. The Palawan peacock-pheasant is a medium-sized bird in the family Phasianidae endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines.
About the Palawan Peacock-Pheasant
The Palawan peacock-pheasant is a medium-sized bird in the family Phasianidae endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines. The spectacular male has a black body with blue marks on the wings, a grayish, finely speckled back and tail with blue peacock "eyes," white marks on the face, and a red eye-ring. Females are mostly brown but with a white face. It is known as tandikan in the some local Palawano, Tagbanwa, and Batak languages of Palawan. It is featured prominently in the culture of the indigenous people of Palawan. The bird is also depicted in the official seal of the city of Puerto Princesa and is in the Philippine one hundred-peso note This species is threatened by habitat…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The adult male is the most peacock-like member of the genus Polyplectron in appearance. It has an erectile crest and highly iridescent electric blue-violet, metallic green-turquoise dorsal plumage. Its breast and ventral regions are a velvety black. The flight feathers (rectrices) are wide, flat, and rigid; velvety black on the inner edges and an iridescent violet-blue-green on the outer edges. Their terminal edges are squared. The tail feathers are black with very fine golden-brown speckling.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November, December, with peak activity in February. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Palawan Peacock-Pheasant?
- The adult male is the most peacock-like member of the genus Polyplectron in appearance. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Palawan Peacock-Pheasant?
- The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant is a large sized bird weighing about 375 g.
- Where can you see a Palawan Peacock-Pheasant?
- The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant is endemic to the Philippines, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Palawan Peacock-Pheasant?
- The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant is most easily confused with the Sumatran Peacock-Pheasant, the Malayan Peacock-Pheasant and the Mountain Peacock-Pheasant.
- Is the Palawan Peacock-Pheasant endangered?
- The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Palawan Peacock-Pheasant for real
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