Palawan Peacock Pheasant
Polyplectron emphanum
ON EXHIBIT: In the Butterfly Exhibit at Ocean Journey
FUN FACTS
These birds are pheasants, not peacocks. Their name comes from the colorful tail that is used in a similar fashion as a peacock: to display for a female. The tails are adorned with ocelli (eye spots) that are blue-green in color. Males go through an extensive courting display that includes offering food to the female and strutting around her with the tail feathers out on display.
CONSERVATION
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size and limited range as well as hunting and capture for trade, the Palawan Peacock Pheasant is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Fan Photo
About This Animal
SIZE 16-20” (males are longer than females)
RANGE Endemic (found only in one place) to the island of Palawan in the Philippines
HABITAT Coastal Low-land forests; humid jungle areas of the Palawan Island, which are rapidly disappearing due to deforestation
DIET Insects, worms, seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, leaves; they dig with their feet to unearth food