Argus (bird)

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Argus
Descent of Man - Burt 1874 - Fig 52.png
An argus illustration from The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Subfamily: Phasianinae
Tribe: Pavonini
Groups included
Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa

An argus, or argus pheasant, is a member of a clade in the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, containing two species of bird that are closely related to peafowl.

Contents

Description

It has hundreds or thousands of tiny white spots on its plumage pattern, and thus its naming might have been in reference to the mythical hundred-eyed giant, Argus Panoptes. [1] These birds have a body shape similar to that of a turkey, however the males have long wing and tail feathers. Males are over six feet long while females are just under three feet long. Their feathers are brown or tan, with black mottling. The Male Argus have round, eye-like circles on their feathers. Males have quite long tails, with some tails measuring nearly five feet long. Females choose males with the longest tails because it means they are the fastest and smartest of the other birds. [2] This species of birds is primarily found in tropical regions, or places with lots of plant growth and rainfall. The Great Argus lives in Sumatra, Southeast Asia, and Borneo. In Asia, they primarily inhabit the Malaysian Peninsula, Thailand, and south Myanmar. Their population density depends on the region at hand. Populations in some areas are healthy and more common, while others are low and rare. The lifespan of the Argus in the wild is unknown, but zoos have reported the species living up to 20 years of age. [3]

Taxonomy

Two genera of birds are considered arguses: Rheinardia and Argusianus . Within these genera there are a total of three recognized species. Argusianus has also been credited with a mysterious second species that is sometimes thought to have gone extinct, but this is most likely based on a simple genetic aberration in the established species. Both genera are thought to be sister taxa to one another and are otherwise most closely related to the peafowl (genera Pavo and Afropavo ), and slightly more distantly to the genus Tropicoperdix. [4] [5]

Genus and distribution

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pheasant</span> Bird in family Phasianidae

Pheasants are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia. The classification "pheasant" is paraphyletic, as birds referred to as pheasants are included within both the subfamilies Phasianinae and Pavoninae, and in many cases are more closely related to smaller phasianids, grouse, and turkey than to other pheasants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peafowl</span> Group of large game birds

Peafowl is a common name for two bird species in the genera Pavo and Afropavo within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galliformes</span> Order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds

Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often reared by humans for their meat and eggs, or hunted as game birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phasianidae</span> Family of birds

The Phasianidae are a family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular gamebirds. The family is a large one and includes 185 species divided into 54 genera. It was formerly broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae and the Perdicinae. However, this treatment is now known to be paraphyletic and polyphyletic, respectively, and more recent evidence supports breaking it up into two subfamilies: Rollulinae and Phasianinae, with the latter containing multiple tribes within two clades. The New World quail (Odontophoridae) and guineafowl (Numididae) were formerly sometimes included in this family, but are now typically placed in families of their own; conversely, grouse and turkeys, formerly often treated as distinct families, are now known to be deeply nested within Phasianidae, so they are now included in the present family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian peafowl</span> Species of bird

The Indian peafowl, also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been introduced to many other countries. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, although both sexes are often referred to colloquially as a "peacock".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green peafowl</span> Species of bird

The green peafowl or Indonesian peafowl is a peafowl species native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia and Indochina. It is the national bird of Myanmar. Formerly common throughout Southeast Asia, only a few isolated populations survive within Cambodia and adjacent areas of Vietnam. It has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2009, primarily due to widespread deforestation, agriculture and loss of suitable habitat, severely fragmenting the species' populations and contributing to an overall decline in numbers. Due to their natural beauty, they are still sometimes targeted by the pet trade, feather collectors, and even by hunters for meat. They are a much-desired bird for private and home aviculturists, despite their rather high-maintenance care requirements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested partridge</span> Species of bird

The crested partridge also known as the crested wood partridge, roul-roul, red-crowned wood partridge, green wood quail or green wood partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is the only member of the genus Rollulus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise flycatcher</span> Genus of birds

The paradise flycatchers (Terpsiphone) are a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. The genus ranges across Africa and Asia, as well as a number of islands. A few species are migratory, but the majority are resident. The most telling characteristic of the genus is the long tail streamers of the males of many species. In addition to the long tails the males and females are sexually dimorphic and have rufous, black and white plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan quail</span> Species of bird

The Himalayan quail or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India. The last verifiable record was in 1876 near the hill station of Mussoorie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great argus</span> Species of pheasant

The great argus is a large species of pheasant from Southeast Asia. It is known for its impressive plumage and courtship behavior. It is not to be confused with the two species of closely related crested argus, genus Rheinardia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested argus</span> Species of bird

Crested arguses are large and spectacular peafowl-like birds in the genus Rheinardia of the pheasant family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reeves's pheasant</span> Species of bird

Reeves's pheasant is a large pheasant within the genus Syrmaticus. It is endemic to China. It is named after the British naturalist John Reeves, who first introduced live specimens to Europe in 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vietnamese crested argus</span> Species of bird

The Vietnamese crested argus is a large and spectacular peafowl-like species of bird in the pheasant family with dark-brown-spotted black and buff plumage, a heavy pink bill, brown irises and blue skin around the eyes. The head has two crests; the hind crest, which extends down the occiput, is erected when alarmed and during intentional behaviors including pair bonding and courtship displays. The male has a broad and greatly elongated tail of twelve feathers. The tail covert of the male is the longest of any bird and is believed to contain the longest feathers to occur in a wild bird; the Reeves's pheasant has tail feathers of similar length but which are considerably narrower. The tail coverts measure up to 1.73 m (5.7 ft) in length, giving the bird a total length of 1.9–2.39 m (6.2–7.8 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan crested argus</span> Species of bird

The Malayan crested argus is a large and spectacular peafowl-like species of bird in the pheasant family with dark-brown-spotted black and buff plumage, a heavy pink bill, brown irises and blue skin around the eyes. The head has two crests; the hind crest, which extends down the occiput, is erected when alarmed and during intentional behaviors including pair bonding and courtship displays. The male has a broad and greatly elongated tail of twelve feathers. The tail covert of the male is the longest of any bird and is believed to contain the longest feathers to occur in a wild bird; the Reeves's pheasant has tail feathers of similar length but which are considerably narrower. The tail coverts measure up to 1.73 m (5.7 ft) in length, giving the bird a total length of 1.9–2.39 m (6.2–7.8 ft).

References

  1. "Great Argus". www.bukitlawang.com. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  2. 1.Arlott 2. van Perlo Jorge 3. Mata 4. Carrizo 5. Chiappe Huber, 1.Norman 2. Ber 3. Rodriguez 4. Gustavo 5. Aldo 6. Luis (2021). The Complete Birds of The World. Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691193922.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. "Great Argus Pheasants : Purely Poultry". www.purelypoultry.com. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  4. "Galliformes". bird-phylogeny (in German). Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  5. "Taxonomic Updates – IOC World Bird List" . Retrieved 2021-08-01.