Palawan Peacock-pheasant
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Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Synonyms: Polyplectron emphanum, Polyplectrum napoleonis

[Photo] Male Palawan Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis) at the Bronx Zoo. Date August 24, 2006. Author Dante Alighieri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Dante_Alighieri)

Copyright (C) 2006 Dante Alighieri Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Polyplectron
Species: Polyplectron napoleonis Lesson, 1831
Synonyms
Polyplectrum napoleonis Lesson, 1831 (lapsus)
Polyplectron emphanum Temminck, 1832

The Palawan Peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron napoleonis also known as Napoleon Peacock-pheasant is a medium-sized, up to 50cm long, bird in the family Phasianidae. It was long known as Polyplectron emphanum (Dickinson 2001).

The male is the handsomest and most peacock-like member of genus Polyplectron. It has an erectile crest, white stripe over eye, and highly iridescence metallic green and black plumage. The tail feathers are decorated with large blue-green ocelli, which may be spread fan-like in courtship display. The female is smaller than male. It has a dark brown plumage with short crest, and whitish on throat, cheeks and eyebrow.

A Philippines endemic, the Palawan Peacock-pheasant is distributed to humid forests of Palawan Island in the southern part of Philippines archipelago. The female usually lays up to two eggs.

The Palawan Peacock-pheasant with its unique male plumage and distant range represents a basal (Early? Pliocene, c.5-4 mya) offshoot of the genus Polyplectron (Kimball et al. 2001).

Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, limited range and hunting and capture for trade, the Palawan Peacock-pheasant is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palawan_Peacock-pheasant

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