Malaysian peacock-pheasant

Description

The Malayan 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 monotypict 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.The female is slightly smaller than the male,with a noticeably shorter tail;measuring about 40 cm overall,its tail is slightly less than 20 cm long,while its tarsus measures c.6 cm and its wing length is 18 cm.Adult Females weigh about 450-550 g.Their plumage is duller than in males,with a vestigial crest and eyespots only on remiges and rectrices.On the wing coverts and back,they have dark dots instead,which are pointed towards the feather tip.[Young birds resemble females but have even less-developed eyespots and usually lack them entirely except on the rectrices.The downy hatchlings are pale chestnut-brown above and buff below