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| Green Peafowl | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
| Vulnerable | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Pavo |
| Species: | P. muticus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pavo muticus Linnaeus, 1766 | |
The Green Peafowl, Pavo muticus also known as Dragonbird is a large member of the pheasant family. Like others of the genus it is a colourful bird. The male Green Peafowl is up to 3 meters long, including the "train" and weighs up to 5kg. The female is 1.1 meter long and weighs up to 1,1kg.
This is one of the two species in the genus Pavo, the other being the Blue or Indian Peafowl, commonly known as the Peacock. The Green Peafowl has a green tufted crest, different in shape to the fanned crest of the Blue and an iridescent metallic green colour plumage with scaly appearance on its neck, breast and mantle. His emerald green tail feathers have a series of eyes that are best seen when fanned. The female plumage is mainly a dull grey-green and she lacks the long tail of the male.
The Green Peafowl is a forest bird which nests on the ground laying 3 to 6 eggs. It is also a powerful flyer, that cover long distances from its deep forest roost to feeding sites in marsh pastures and along river banks. The diet consists mainly of seeds, insects, reptiles, fruits and small animals. It is called the Dragonbird because it hunts venomous snakes.
There are three subspecies of the Green Peafowl, P. m. spicifer from northeastern India and northwestern Myanmar that now is believed to be extinct, P. m. imperator found in Indo-China and the most brilliantly coloured, nominate race P. m. muticus of Java, Indonesia.
Some taxonomists believe that the endangered Green Peafowl is actually a complex of five distinct species although they are currently treated as one species with three subspecies . The Javanese Green Peafowl, P. m. javanensis is an endemic found on the island of Java. The extinct Malay or Pahang Peafowl P. m. muticus was earlier thought to be introduced by humans from Java, but fossils from the Pliocene epoch rules this out. However, this will create a controversy because the Javanese subspecies has "inherited" the name. Northern Yunnan is the home of one of the most distinctive form of Green Peafowl, The Yunnan Dragonbird P. m. yunnanensis. The Arakan Dragonbird P. m, spicifer was once native to northern western Myanmar, southern Tibet and Assam. The Indo-Chinese or Siamese Dragonbird Pavo muticus imperator was once native to southeast Myanmar and Thailand. The Annametic Dragonbird P. m. annamensis inhabited the broadleaf evergreen forests of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and southern Yunnan China.
Due to hunting and a reduction in extent and quality of habitat, the Green Peafowl is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Gallery
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male
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female
Media
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References
- Grimmett, R. (1999). Birds of India: Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04910-6.
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External links
- Template:IUCN2006 - Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- ARKive - images and movies of the Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus)
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- IUCN Red List
- Red Data Book