Crested Argus
Encyclopedia
The Crested Argus is a large and spectacular peacock-like pheasant
with dark-brown-spotted black and buff plumage
, a pink bill
, brown irises
and blue skin around the eyes. The head is small. The male has a broad and greatly elongated tail of twelve feathers. He measures from 1.9–2.39 m (6.2–7.8 ft) in total length. The tail covert (or "train") of the male is the longest of any bird and is believed to contain the longest (and widest) feathers to occur in a wild bird; the Reeve's Pheasant has tail feathers of similar length but not as wide. The tail covert measure up to 1.73 m (5.7 ft) in length. The female looks similar, with a shorter crest and tail, and averages 0.75 m (2.5 ft) in length. The species is the only member in the monotypic genus Rheinardia. Despite being the most sexually dimorphic galliform
by length, the male only weighs about 20% more than the female. The average weight is around 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).
Little is known about this species in the wild. A shy and elusive bird, the Crested Argus is found in forest
s of Vietnam
, Laos
and Malaysia in Southeast Asia
. The diet consists mainly of, invertebrate
s,mollusks, amphibians, small reptiles, bamboo shoots, leaves, fruit
s and fungus.
Like other Peafowl, Crested Argus retire on emergent trees above the forest canopy for many hours a day. They will remain on these trees for days at a time during the wet season. Crested Argus are strong fliers and pairs have been reported flying together.
Due to ongoing habitat
loss as well as overhunting in some areas, the Crested Argus is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List
. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
with dark-brown-spotted black and buff plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
, a pink bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, brown irises
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
and blue skin around the eyes. The head is small. The male has a broad and greatly elongated tail of twelve feathers. He measures from 1.9–2.39 m (6.2–7.8 ft) in total length. The tail covert (or "train") of the male is the longest of any bird and is believed to contain the longest (and widest) feathers to occur in a wild bird; the Reeve's Pheasant has tail feathers of similar length but not as wide. The tail covert measure up to 1.73 m (5.7 ft) in length. The female looks similar, with a shorter crest and tail, and averages 0.75 m (2.5 ft) in length. The species is the only member in the monotypic genus Rheinardia. Despite being the most sexually dimorphic galliform
Galliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
by length, the male only weighs about 20% more than the female. The average weight is around 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).
Little is known about this species in the wild. A shy and elusive bird, the Crested Argus is found in forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Malaysia in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. The diet consists mainly of, invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s,mollusks, amphibians, small reptiles, bamboo shoots, leaves, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s and fungus.
Like other Peafowl, Crested Argus retire on emergent trees above the forest canopy for many hours a day. They will remain on these trees for days at a time during the wet season. Crested Argus are strong fliers and pairs have been reported flying together.
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 as well as overhunting in some areas, the Crested Argus is evaluated as Near Threatened 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...
. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.