| PALAWAN PEACOCK PHEASANT (Polyplectron
emphanum)
Family Phasianidae: Pheasants, Partridges and Quail
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| Description: 52 cm. Male: a long metallic blue crest; ear coverts
and sometimes long eyebrows white; rest of head, underparts and flight
feathers black; mantle and wing coverts metallic blue with purple reflections;
back, rump and tail black, spotted and marked with rusty brown, upper tail
coverts and broad tail feathers with large metallic blue ocelli bordered
by black and gray. Two to three spurs on each leg. Female; smaller, with
no spurs, crest seldom visible; brown, whitish on face and throat; tail
feathers with large purple blue ocelli. Bill black and feet brown in both
sexes.
Distribution and habits: Endemic to Palawan where it is quite uncommon. Lives on the floor of the deep forest though seldom observed because of its shy and wary nature. The male struts and displays to the female in a dancing arena within a clearing on the forest floor. Feeds on a variety of fruit and seeds, as well as insects and other small animals. Much sought after by collectors amd may be threatened with extinction unless adequately protected. From Birds of the Philippines by P. C. Gonzales and C. P. Rees, 1988, Haribon Foundation.
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