Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, A Striking Bird With Iridescent Blue-Green Plumage And Mohawk (10 Pics)

This bird's peacock-like tail with characteristic patterns is eye-catching, too. Unlike male birds with stunning features above, female Palawan peacock-pheasants are a dull grey-brown color. This beautiful bird species is native to the island of Palawan in the southern Philippines. It is known from c.20 localities throughout the island, with records from at least 11 since 1980. Local reports suggest that it has a wider distribution. In the early 1970s, despite local extinctions, it was not considered particularly rare. In 1995, its fragmented population was estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals (McGowan and Garson 1995); however, more recent density estimates from Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (Mallari et al. 2011) suggest that this was an underestimate. As a result of the latest density estimates (Mallari et al. 2011), the population is conservatively estimated at fewer than 50,000 mature individuals. The species, however, is still thought to be declining.