Polyplectron
Sign in to saveAlso known as Peacock-pheasant
The peacock-pheasants are a bird genus, Polyplectron, of the family Phasianidae, consisting of eight species. They are colored inconspicuously, relying heavily on crypsis to avoid detection. When threatened, peacock-pheasants will alter their shapes using specialised plumage that when expanded reveals numerous iridescent orbs. The birds also vibrate their plume quills further accentuating their aposematism. Peacock-pheasants exhibit well developed metatarsal spurs. Older individuals may have multiple spurs on each leg. These kicking thorns are used in self-defense.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderGalliformes
- FamilyPhasianidae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 21
- With media
- 1
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Collections
- UMZC, CUMV, MSU, NHMUK, MCZ, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE
- Recorded in
- Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Myanmar, India
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
3 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Species
- References
The peacock-pheasants are a bird genus, Polyplectron, of the family Phasianidae, consisting of eight species. They are colored inconspicuously, relying heavily on crypsis to avoid detection. When threatened, peacock-pheasants will alter their shapes using specialised plumage that when expanded reveals numerous iridescent orbs. The birds also vibrate their plume quills further accentuating their aposematism. Peacock-pheasants exhibit well developed metatarsal spurs. Older individuals may have multiple spurs on each leg. These kicking thorns are used in self-defense.
==Taxonomy== The genus Polyplectron was introduced in 1807 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The name combines the Ancient Greek polus meaning "many" with plēktron meaning "cock's spur". The type species is the grey peacock-pheasant.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Polyplectron” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.