Congo peafowl

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Congo peafowl
Afropavo congensis -Antwerp Zoo -pair-8a.jpg
A pair at Antwerp Zoo, with male left and female right.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Tribe: Pavonini
Genus: Afropavo
Chapin, 1936
Species:
A. congensis
Binomial name
Afropavo congensis
Chapin, 1936

The Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis), also known as the African peafowl or mbulu by the Bakôngo, is a species of peafowl native to the Congo Basin. [2] It is one of three peafowl species and the only member of the subfamily Pavoninae native to Africa. [3] It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. [1]

History

Dr. James P. Chapin of the New York Zoological Society on an unsuccessful African expedition in search of the Okapi noticed that the native Congolese headdresses contained long reddish-brown feathers that he could not identify with any previously known species of bird. In 1934, Chapin visited the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren and saw two stuffed specimens with similar feathers labeled as the 'Indian peacock' which he later discovered to be the Congo peafowl, a completely different species. In 1955, Chapin managed to find seven specimens of the species. The Congo peafowl has physical characteristics of both the peafowl and the guineafowl, which may indicate that the species is a link between the two families. [4]

Description

Female head Afropavo congensis -Artis Zoo -Netherlands -female-8a.jpg
Female head
Male head Afropavo congensis -Artis Zoo -Netherlands -male -head-8a.jpg
Male head

The male (peacock) of this species is a large bird of up to 64–70 cm (25–28 in) in length. Though much less impressive than his Asiatic cousins, the male's feathers are nevertheless deep blue with a metallic green and violet tinge. He has bare red neck skin, grey feet, and a black tail with fourteen tail feathers. His crown is adorned with vertical white elongated hair-like feathers.

The female (peahen) measures up to 60–63 centimetres (24–25 in) in length and is generally a chestnut brown bird with a black abdomen, metallic green back, and a short chestnut brown crest. Both sexes resemble immature Asian peafowl, with early stuffed birds being erroneously classified as such before they were officially designated as members of a unique species. [5]

Distribution and habitat

The Congo peafowl inhabits and is endemic to the Central Congolian lowland forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it has also been designated the national bird. It occurs in both primary and secondary forest in Salonga National Park. Secondary signs of its presence like droppings and feathers were more frequently encountered in regenerating secondary forest than in primary forest. In secondary forest, its droppings were found close to watercourses, where trees were smaller and plant diversity lower than in primary forest. [3]

In the 1990s, it was recorded in Maiko National Park, foremost in low hills and ridges between watersheds. [6]

Behaviour and ecology

The Congo peafowl is an omnivore with a diet consisting mainly of fruits and insects. In Salonga National Park, its diet includes fruits from Allanblackia floribunda , junglesop, Canarium schweinfurthii , oil palm, Klainedoxa gabonensis , African breadfruit, and Xylopia aethiopica and a multitude of insects, spiders, mollusks and worms. [7]

In Salonga National Park, its diet is taxonomically narrower in secondary forest than in primary forest. The male has a similar display to that of other species of peafowl, though the Congo peacock actually fans its tail feathers while other peacocks fan their upper tail covert feathers. The Congo peafowl is monogamous, though detailed mating information from the wild is still needed. The peacock of the species has a high-pitched "gowe" calling noise while the peahen emits a low "gowah". They have loud duets consisting of "rro-ho-ho-o-a" from both sexes.[ citation needed ]

Threats

The Congo peafowl is threatened by habitat loss caused by mining, shifting cultivation and logging. [6]

Conservation

Female at the Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens. Congo Peafowl, female.jpg
Female at the Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens.
Male at the Oklahoma City Zoo. CongoPeafowlOKCZoo.JPG
Male at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

The Congo peafowl is listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. As of 2013, the wild population was estimated at between 2,500 and 9,000 adult individuals. [1] Given its use of regenerating forest in Salonga National Park, secondary forests might be an important habitat to include in a conservation strategy. [3]

Captive breeding programs were initiated in the Belgian Antwerp Zoo and at Salonga National Park. [8]

Related Research Articles

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

Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus Pavo and one species of the closely related genus 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">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">Argus (bird)</span> Clade of bird

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.

<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">Salonga National Park</span> National park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Salonga National Park is a national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo located in the Congo River basin. It is Africa's largest tropical rainforest reserve covering about 36,000 km2 or 3,600,000 hectares. It extends into the provinces of Mai Ndombe, Equateur, Kasaï and Sankuru. In 1984, the national park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its protection of a large swath of relatively intact rainforest and its important habitat for many rare species. In 1999, the site has been listed as endangered due to poaching and housing construction. Following the improvement in its state of conservation, the site was removed from the endangered list in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-collared lovebird</span> Species of bird

The black-collared lovebird also known as Swindern's lovebird is a small, 13.5cm (5in) long, African parrot in the genus Agapornis and belongs to the Agapornithinae family. The black-collared lovebird is commonly found in areas of Africa such as Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Ghana; Liberia, and Uganda. They are most commonly found in forests with large trees and canopies where there is tropical and moist land. It is a mostly green parrot with black band on the back of its neck, and a dark greyish-black bill. Both sexes are similar. It is rarely kept in captivity because of its dietary requirement for a native fig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of the Democratic Republic of the Congo</span>

The wildlife of the Democratic Republic of the Congo includes its flora and fauna, comprising a large biodiversity in rainforests, seasonally flooded forests and grasslands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow longbill</span> Species of bird

The yellow longbill is a species of Old World warbler in the family Macrosphenidae. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental pied hornbill</span> Species of bird

The oriental pied hornbill is an Indo-Malayan pied hornbill, a large canopy-dwelling bird belonging to the family Bucerotidae. Two other common names for this species are Sunda pied hornbill (convexus) and Malaysian pied hornbill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-tailed amazon</span> Species of bird

The red-tailed amazon, also known as the red-tailed parrot, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to coastal regions in the south-east Brazilian states of São Paulo and Paraná. The bird has been threatened by habitat loss and capture for the wild bird trade, and is a symbol of the efforts to conserve one of the Earth's most biologically diverse ecosystems. Consequently, it is considered Near Threatened by BirdLife International and the IUCN. In 1991–92, the population had fallen below 2000 individuals. Following on-going conservation efforts, a count and estimate from 2015 suggests a population of 9,000–10,000, indicating that this species is recovering from earlier persecution. A recent study shows that the population of this species is stable at Paraná state, Southern Brazil, revealing population trend fluctuation during the last 12 years.

The Ituri batis or Chapin's batis is a species of bird in the wattle-eye family, Platysteiridae which is found in the humid forests of eastern central Africa.

Grauer's cuckooshrike is a little known species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is found in mid-elevation montane forests, where it can be locally common. Similar to other species endemic to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is rarely reported due to ongoing armed conflict in the Albertine Rift.

The yellow-crested helmetshrike or King Albert's helmetshrike is a species of bird in the Vanga family Vangidae. This large, striking helmetshrike is unique in its black plumage and bright yellow crest. Though this species has been encountered broadly across the mountains of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, there is still much to learn about this species. It is rarely reported due to the majority of its distribution occurring in relatively remote regions within the Albertine Rift, an area with ongoing armed conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Congolian lowland forests</span>

The Central Congolian lowland forests are an ecoregion within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is a remote, inaccessible area of low-lying dense wet forest, undergrowth and swamp in the Cuvette Centrale region of the Congo Basin south of the arc of the River Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bankapura Peacock Sanctuary</span> Wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka, India

Bankapura Peacock Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary inside the Bankapura Fort in Haveri District, Karnataka, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Congolian swamp forests</span>

The Eastern Congolian swamp forests are a fairly intact but underresearched ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome. It is located within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the eastern half of one of the largest areas of swamps in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kahuzi-Biéga National Park</span> National park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a protected area near Bukavu town in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is situated near the western bank of Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border. Established in 1970 by the Belgian photographer and conservationist Adrien Deschryver, the park is named after two dormant volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega, which are within its limits. With an area of 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi), Kahuzi-Biega is one of the biggest national parks in the country. Set in both mountainous and lowland terrain, it is one of the last refuges of the rare species of Eastern lowland gorilla, an endangered category under the IUCN Red List. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1980 for its unique biodiversity of rainforest habitat and its eastern lowland gorillas. In 1997, it was listed on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of the political instability of the region, an influx of refugees, and increasing wildlife exploitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeastern Congolian lowland forests</span>

The Northeastern Congolian lowland forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that spans the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.

<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. 1 2 3 BirdLife International (2022). "Afropavo congensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T22679430A208189646. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. Dowsett, R. J.; Forbes-Watson, A. D. (1993). Checklist of birds of the Afrotropical and Malagasy regions. Tauraco Press. ISBN   287225000X.
  3. 1 2 3 Mulotwa, M.; Louette, M.; Dudu, A.; Upoki, A.; Fuller, R. A. (2010). "Congo Peafowl use both primary and old regenerating forest in Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of The Congo". Ostrich. 81: 1–6. doi:10.2989/00306525.2010.455811. S2CID   84628639.
  4. "Congo Peafowl". World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  5. BirdLife International (2014) Species factsheet: Afropavo congensis. Downloaded from "BirdLife | Partnership for nature and people". Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  6. 1 2 Hart, J. A.; Upoki, A. (1997). "Distribution and conservation status of Congo peafowl Afropavo congensis in eastern Zaire". Bird Conservation International. 7 (4): 295–316. doi: 10.1017/s0959270900001647 .
  7. Mulotwa, M.; Louette, M.; Dudu, A. & Upoki, A. (2006). "The Congo Peafowl Afropavo congensis in Salonga National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo)". Malimbus (28): 52–53.
  8. Collar, N. J.; Butchart, S. H. M. (2013). "Conservation breeding and avian diversity: chances and challenges". International Zoo Yearbook. 8 (1): 7–28.