Congo Peafowl
Encyclopedia
The Congo Peafowl is a species of peafowl
. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Afropavo.
The male is a large bird of up to 70 cm (27.6 in) in length. Its feathers are deep blue with a metallic green and violet tinge. It has bare red neck skin, grey feet, and a black tail with fourteen feathers. Its head is adorned with vertical white elongated hair-like feather
s on its crown. The female is generally a chestnut brown bird with a black abdomen, metallic green back, and a short chestnut brown crest. Both sexes resemble immature Asian Peafowl
, with early stuffed birds being erroneously classified as such before they were officially discovered as a unique species.
It inhabits and is endemic
to lowland
rainforest
s of Congo River Basin in the central part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
. The diet consists mainly of fruits and invertebrates. The male has a similar display to other peacocks, fanning its tail in this case, while other peacocks fan their upper tail coverts. The male Congo Peafowl is monogamous, though information from the wild is needed.
Very little is known about this species. It was first recorded as a species in 1936 by Dr. James Chapin
based on two stuffed specimens at Congo Museum in Belgium
. It has characteristics of both the peafowl
and the guineafowl
, which may indicate that the Congo Peafowl is a link between the two families.
Due to ongoing habitat
loss, small population size and hunting in some areas, the Congo Peafowl is evaluated as Vulnerable
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Afropavo.
The male is a large bird of up to 70 cm (27.6 in) in length. Its feathers are deep blue with a metallic green and violet tinge. It has bare red neck skin, grey feet, and a black tail with fourteen feathers. Its head is adorned with vertical white elongated hair-like feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s on its crown. The female is generally a chestnut brown bird with a black abdomen, metallic green back, and a short chestnut brown crest. Both sexes resemble immature Asian Peafowl
Pavo (genus)
The peafowl genus Pavo Linnaeus, 1758 consist of two species of spectacularly plumaged pheasants, the largest of the Phasianidae. Their highly elongated and elaborated trains are decorated with metallic ocelli; commonly called "tails", they are actually the uppertail coverts while the peacock's...
, with early stuffed birds being erroneously classified as such before they were officially discovered as a unique species.
It inhabits and is endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to lowland
Lowland
In physical geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level. The term is thus applied to the landward portion of the upward slope from oceanic depths to continental highlands, to a region of depression in the interior of a mountainous region, to a plain of denudation, or...
rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s of Congo River Basin in the central part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. The diet consists mainly of fruits and invertebrates. The male has a similar display to other peacocks, fanning its tail in this case, while other peacocks fan their upper tail coverts. The male Congo Peafowl is monogamous, though information from the wild is needed.
Very little is known about this species. It was first recorded as a species in 1936 by Dr. James Chapin
James Chapin
Dr James Paul Chapin was an American ornithologist.-Life and career:One of the top ornithologists of the twentieth century. At age 19 he left Staten Island to become second in command of the American Museum of Natural History's six year expedition to the Congo...
based on two stuffed specimens at Congo Museum in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It has characteristics of both the peafowl
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
and the guineafowl
Guineafowl
The guineafowl are a family of birds in the Galliformes order, although some authorities include the guineafowl as a subfamily, Numidinae, of the family Phasianidae...
, which may indicate that the Congo Peafowl is a link between the two families.
Due to ongoing habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
loss, small population size and hunting in some areas, the Congo Peafowl is evaluated as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.
External links
- www.peafowl-farm.com Privat peacock site
- ARKive - images and movies of the Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congensis)
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- gbwf.org - Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congensis)
- IUCN Red List
- Kimball, R.T, Braun, E.L. and J. D. Ligon (1997) Resolution of the phylogenetic position of the Congo peafowl, Afropavo congensis: a biogeographic and evolutionary enigma. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 264:1517-1523
- The Cryptid Zoo: African Peacocks