| Peacock-pheasants | |
|---|---|
 | |
| malePalawan peacock-pheasant Polyplectron napoleonis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Phasianinae |
| Tribe: | Polyplectronini Blyth, 1852 |
| Genus: | Polyplectron Temminck, 1807 |
| Type species | |
| Polyplectron chinquis[1] =Pavo bicalcaratus Temminck, 1823 | |
| Synonyms | |
Polyplectrum (lapsus) | |
Thepeacock-pheasants are a bird genus,Polyplectron, of the familyPhasianidae, consisting of eightspecies. They are colored inconspicuously, relying heavily oncrypsis 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 theiraposematism. Peacock-pheasants exhibit well developed metatarsal spurs. Older individuals may have multiple spurs on each leg. These kicking thorns are used in self-defense.
The genusPolyplectron was introduced in 1807 by the Dutch zoologistCoenraad Jacob Temminck.[2] The name combines theAncient Greekpolus meaning "many" withplēktron meaning "cock's spur".[3] Thetype species is thegrey peacock-pheasant.[4]
The systematics of the genus are somewhat unclear. Molecular research has revealed that peacock-pheasants are not genetically related topheasants and only distantly topeafowl. Their closest allies are the Asiaticspurfowl and thecrimson-headed partridge, endemic toBorneo. These three genera share the curious tendency for multiple metatarsal spurs. Though they are somewhat divergent morphologically, their skeletons are nearly identical.
The species ofPolyplectron diverged at some time between, roughly, theEarly Pliocene and theMiddle Pleistocene, or 5–1million years ago.Polyplectron malacense andP. schleiermacheri form abasal radiation around the southernSouth China Sea together withP. napoleonis, as is confirmed by comparison ofbiogeography andmtDNAcytochromeb andD-loop as well as thenuclearovomucoidintron G.[5]
The relationships of the other forms are more poorly understood.P. germaini andP. bicalcaratum are similar inmorphology and are nearlyparapatric; the molecular data suggests that the latter is asymplesiomorphy. It would appear thatP. germaini andP. katsumatae represent an early offshoot of the aforementioned basal radiation. The two montane-adapted speciesP. chalcurum andP. inopinatum are not derived from a single isolation event, and appear to have acquired more subdued coloration independently. A trend in this genus tolose—not gain—pronouncedsexual dimorphism is better supported by biogeographical and molecular data than the alternate scenario.[5]
In 2010 theIOC World Bird List listed theHainan peacock-pheasant as a species.[6] FollowingJean Théodore Delacour, this species has historically been listed as asubspecies ofP. bicalcaratum. Prior to reclassification by Delacour, the Hainan peacock-pheasant has been considered a distinct species by several ornithologists. Indeed, when it was first described to science by Katsumata it was considered a distinct species. Prominent organizations including the World Bird List have recently concurred, and species status is currently under review by theOriental Bird Club.[7] It is considered of utmost importance to have the Hainan peacock-pheasant recognized as a full species due to itsendangered status. The Hainan peacock-pheasant is endemic to the island ofHainan, where itspopulation density is very low in itstropical forest habitat on the island and the wild population is declining, making it now severely endangered and among the rarest species in the orderGalliformes inChina.
| Image | Name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Polyplectron napoleonis – formerlyP. emphanum | Palawan peacock-pheasant | Philippines |
 | Polyplectron malacense | Malayan peacock-pheasant | Malay Peninsula from the Isthmus of Kra region southwards |
 | Polyplectron schleiermacheri | Bornean peacock-pheasant | Borneo |
_IMG_7861_copy.jpg) | Polyplectron germaini | Germain's peacock-pheasant | mid-southern Vietnam and far eastern Cambodia |
 | Polyplectron bicalcaratum | Grey peacock-pheasant | Bangladesh, Northeast India and Southeast Asia |
 | Polyplectron katsumatae – split fromP. bicalcaratum[6] | Hainan peacock-pheasant | Hainan, China |
 | Polyplectron chalcurum | Bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant | Indonesia |
 | Polyplectron inopinatum | Mountain peacock-pheasant | Malaysia |
Genera oflandfowl and their extinct allies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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