| Grey peacock-pheasant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| AtBirmingham Nature Centre, England | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Polyplectron |
| Species: | P. bicalcaratum |
| Binomial name | |
| Polyplectron bicalcaratum | |
| Synonyms | |
Pavo bicalcaratusLinnaeus, 1758[3] | |
Thegrey peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum), also known asBurmese peacock-pheasant, is a largeAsian member of theorderGalliformes.
In 1747 the English naturalistGeorge Edwards included an illustration and a description of the grey peacock-pheasant in the second volume of hisA Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Peacock Pheasant from China". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a live bird which was given toRobert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford.[4] When in 1758 the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus updated hisSystema Naturae for thetenth edition, he placed the grey peacock-pheasant with theIndian peafowl in thegenusPavo. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined thebinomial namePavo bicalcaratum and cited Edwards' work.[5] The grey peacock-pheasant is now placed in thegenusPolyplectron that was introduced in 1807 by the Dutch zoologistCoenraad Jacob Temminck.[6][7] The genus namePolyplectron combines theAncient Greekpolus meaning "many" withplēktron meaning "cock's spur". The specific epithetbicalcaratum combines theLatinbi meaning "two" withcalcar,calcaris meaning "spur".[8]
Although severalsubspecies have been described, none are currently recognised in the list of world birds maintained byFrank Gill,Pamela Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of theInternational Ornithological Committee (IOC).[7]
Othersubspecies have been described in the past, but these are not now recognised:[7][9]
One previous subspecies, theHainan peacock-pheasant (P. b. katsumatae), is now recognised as a separate species by the IOC.[7]
Lowe's grey peacock-pheasant was described from a captive bird of unknown provenance.[10] Similar examples have turned up on occasion, but the validity and – if distinct – home range of thistaxon remains unknown. It was theorized to inhabit westernAssam or the easternHimalayas, but this is based on conjecture.
Thephylogeny of this species is fairly enigmatic.mtDNAcytochromeb andD-loop as well as thenuclearovomucoidintron Gsequence data confirms that it belongs to a largely Continental Asianclade together withGermain's peacock-pheasant (P. germaini), but also the "brown" southern speciesbronze-tailed peacock-pheasant (P. chalcurum) andmountain peacock-pheasant (P. inopinatum).[11]
The ovomucin sequence seems to haveevolved convergently or with a decreasedmutational rate on the grey and the bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant. Though they are quite similar on the molecular level, the distance and interspersed populations of their closest relatives argue against a much more recently shared common ancestry between them versus the other two "northern" peacock-pheasants. Also, the cytochromeb and D-loop data does not support a closer relationship betweenP. bicalcaratus andP. chalcurum; overall, as it seems the four species' ancestors separated during a very short timespan.[11]
Note however that in the absence of dedicatedphylogeographic studies, the molecular data is only of limited value in this species, the mostmorphologically diverse and widespreadpeacock-pheasant: There is no data on the origin and number of specimens, but it is unlikely that more than one or two individuals – possibly of captive origin and undeterminablesubspecific allocation – were sampled. All that can be reasonably assumed is that the grey peacock-pheasantevolved on mainland Southeast Asia, probably during theLate Pliocene toEarly Pleistocene 3.6-1million years ago.[12]
It is a largepheasant, up to 76 cm long and greyish brown with finely spotted greeneyespots, an elongated bushy crest, bare pink or yellow facial skin, white throat, and greyiris,bill and legs. The sexes are rather similar, but the female is smaller, darker and less ornamented than the male. The young resemble the female.
The grey peacock-pheasant is distributed in lowland and hill forests ofBangladesh,Northeast India andSoutheast Asia, but excluding most ofIndochina as well as the entireMalayan Peninsula. The diet consists mainly of seeds, termites, fruits and invertebrates. The female usually lays two eggs.
Widespread throughout its large range, the grey peacock-pheasant is evaluated as a Species ofLeast Concern on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed onCITES Appendix II, restricting trade in wild-caught birds to preserve its stocks.[13]
