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

The Palawan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis) is an outstanding bird. It has iridescent blue-green plumage and Mohawk, making them conspicuous whenever they are. The black underparts and white stripes above (and below) the eyes also create more charm for this creature.

Deforestation in lowland Palawan has been extensive, and reached a rate of 11% between 2000 and 2005 (Mallari et al. 2011). Logging and mining concessions have been granted for almost all remaining forest on the island. As of December 2008, nine Small Scale Mining Permits had already been issued and there were 354 mining applications pending, covering 6,510 km2 of land within Palawan province (Mallari et al. 2011). Illegal logging is thought to persist in the remaining extensive forest of the south. Forest at Iwahig Penal Colony, regarded as a key site, may be threatened by plans to mine chromite. By the late 1960s, the species was being extensively hunted and trapped in large numbers for live trade, but exports were much reduced by the late 1980s. In the mid-1990s, it was heavily hunted adjacent to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and this protected area is still subjected to pressures on habitats, including agricultural encroachment and the harvesting of non-timber forest products (Mallari et al. 2011).