Fun Malayan Peacock Pheasant Facts For Kids

The Malaysian Peacock Pheasant is also known as the Malayan Peacock Pheasant or  Crested Peacock Pheasant (polyplectron malacense) of the Galliformes family Phasianidae and is found in the Malay Peninsula region, including extreme southern Thailand. It belongs to the Peacock Pheasants family which consists of a group of pheasants possessing well-known round eye-shaped ocelli on their plumage.

These birds are closely related to the Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) and were previously included as a subspecies from the family Phasianidae but now they are monotypic.

Malayan peacock pheasants are one of the prettiest in the world with their vividly colored feathers and portray a nonchalant attitude while displaying their long feathers. Looking at these graceful animals is sure to fill you with joy!

If you like what you read, do check out these southern cassowary facts and scarlet macaw facts for more.

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Malayan Peacock Pheasant Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Malayan peacock pheasant?

The Malayan peacock pheasants belong to a group of elegant beautiful small birds, related to Argus Pheasants, but have smaller tails and wings forming the connecting link between the peacocks and Peacock Pheasants. Few male pheasants exhibit a blazing white ring around their necks and have a shorter tail.

What class of animal does a Malayan peacock pheasant belong to?

The Malayan peacock pheasant (polyplectron malacense) belongs to the Aves class of animals and genus Polyplectron. The Aves class consists solely of birds and belongs to the family of Ardeidae.

These birds are known to be warm-blooded vertebrates that are characterized by their feathers, laying hard-shelled eggs, their toothless beaked jaws, their four-chambered hearts, and a lightweight yet strong skeleton.

How many Malayan peacock pheasants are there in the world?

As of 2021, the total population of the crested peacock pheasant is over 10,000 individuals distributed in central Malaysia, and the total population of the endangered Bornean peacock pheasants a relative of the Malayan peacock pheasant, (scientific name: Polyplectron schleiermacher) is less than 2500 individuals.

Where does a Malayan peacock pheasant live?

Malayan peacock pheasant belonging to genus Polyplectron is endemic to Malaysian Peninsular, but earlier these birds were also found in Thailand, Singapore, Sumatra, and Myanmar. Pheasants can survive in both temperate and tropical climates.

What is a Malayan peacock pheasant's habitat?

The Malayan peacock pheasant is an extreme lowland specialist, resident of a tall forest tree from which are obtained resins and timber and gently sloping grounds.

These species prefer meadows, fields, and farmland as a favorable habitat for them, they build shelters under trees, in ditches, and under brushes and are rarely found in an area that is not a lowland.

Who do Malayan peacock pheasants live with?

Malaysian peacock pheasants are found in small groups, which are known as 'musters'. Their flock usually consists of a harem of 8-15 females and a single male, but after breeding, the male leaves the flock, and only females and chicks are left. The Malaysian peacock pheasant is also found walking in groups and dust-bathing together at dusk.

How long does a Malayan peacock pheasant live?

The lifespan of the Malayan peacock pheasant is very short in the wild but with proper care and a healthy diet this bird can live up to 11-15 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

This bird sexually matures at the age of three years old. The breeding season of this bird is still not clear as nests can be found in the months of March, April, and August.

A male Malaysian peacock pheasant mates with multiple females during the breeding season and during this period male calls and maintains a clean territory by removing all the leaves then displays their beautiful tails by raising the upper tail and revealing an arched fan to attach females creating a harem for themselves.

This display by the male is similar to that of the Bronze-tailed peacock pheasant, which involves jumping, ruffling of head and tail feathers.

A female pheasant will choose to join the harem with a prepotent male.

After mating, females lay two to three large eggs at a time and the incubation period for this bird is 22–25 days, which is taken care of by the female alone.

What is their conservation status?

The Malayan Peacock Pheasant is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, the reason for the decline in their population in Thailand is due to the over-exploitation for sport, food, and bird trade. These threats are not currently of significance throughout the rest of the species range.

In Peninsular Malaysia, their habitat is becoming scattered, due to the conversion of forest to agricultural land, making these species confined to few protected areas.

Malayan Peacock Pheasant Fun Facts

What do Malayan peacock pheasants look like?

The Malaysian Peacock Pheasant belonging to the genus Polyplectron is also known as the crested peacock pheasant, with its warm and beautiful brown and grey plumage with peculiar green-blue eye-shaped spot (ocelli) on the wings and the mantle is revered as an absolutely stunning bird across the world.

A male Malay peacock pheasant can be differentiated from the female Malay peacock pheasant by an amalgamation of base plumage color and the existence of tawny-colored outer rings in each eye, with facial skin-colored orange and the crest.

Female Malay peacock pheasant is small-sized and duller in color with a minute crest and traces of eye-shaped spots on the tail and wings. Females are also darker in color and have short tails with yellowish facial skin.

It is perfect camouflage for them as they incubate the eggs while blended with the dense shrubs in their habitat.

The Bornean peacock pheasants are large-sized when compared to the Malayan and the Grey peacock pheasants, they have black and rufous-brown spotted bodies with an extended nape and crest feathers, these species have black underpart and have red skin outer ring in both eyes.

The front sides are blue-green in color with white borders on the throats, these birds have 22 tail feathers which are enriched with a spot that is enormous blue-green and eye-shaped (ocelli), and they may spread out the fan-like tail to attract females to mate with.

How cute are they?

These peacock pheasants are a delight for sore eyes as they are extremely beautiful! A male Malayan peacock pheasant is considered to be more attractive than a female Malayan peacock pheasant.

Peacocks are known to have 1,000 'eyes' (the eye-like pattern on their feathers) and have a green, blue, and gold feature tail that is bigger than their entire body. A Malayan peacock pheasant is more of a mixture of brown and grey, with orange facial skin.

How do they communicate?

The Malayan peacock pheasant uses vocalization to communicate with each other, and the levels of calling are low. As these birds are terrestrial, a male's territorial call is slow, loud, melancholy “puu pwoii”  and a loud call “tchorr”, both these calls are produced close to dusk and dawn.

Malayan peacock pheasant males gather together to display and call, mainly when disturbed or threatened by the predators. They produce sudden explosive cackles and sometimes run to throaty clucks "wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk”, which continues several times, becoming pinched and shorter.

How big is a Malayan peacock pheasant?

An adult Malayan peacock pheasant can grow up to 15.7-20.9 in (40-53 cm) large. These medium-sized birds belong to the order Galliformes, males are slightly larger in size and bulkier than females.

How fast can a Malayan peacock pheasant fly?

Malayan peacock pheasants can run at a speed of around 27-38 mph (45-61.1 kph) while cruising and they can reach the speed of 60 mph (96.5 kph) if they are threatened by predators. Whilst they can fly, these birds prefer to run on the ground to escape as they are slightly clumsy in flight.

How much does a Malayan peacock pheasant weigh?

An adult Malayan peacock pheasant can grow up to 16-24 oz (455-680 g), Males are usually larger when compared to females.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male Malayan peacock pheasant is called a cock, whereas a female Malayan peacock pheasant is called a peahen.

What would you call a baby Malayan peacock pheasant?

A baby the Malayan peacock pheasant is called a chick and newborn chicks have a pale brown and grey color with the darker band on the middle of the dorsal-edged buff, pale plumage feature found on the heads and cheeks, and dark buff on the throat. These birds are capable of flying within 17 days old after being hatched.

What do they eat?

The Malayan peacock pheasant is an opportunistic eater. They primarily feed on mites, spiders, centipedes, insects, grasshoppers, millipedes, flies, ants, moss, fruits, and twigs. These birds feed by excavating leaf litter and picking up food, they are also seen pecking low-flying insects.

Are they dangerous?

Malayan peacock pheasant is not very aggressive but they are very protective of their territory and their chicks. When a Malayan peacock pheasant calls it produces a loud noise and they do this if they spot a predator or when defending their territory.

During mating season male Malayan peacock pheasant will attack other males if they are intruded on. After laying their large eggs, the female attacks whoever gets close to her nest.

Would they make a good pet?

The Malayan peacock pheasant is a small-sized species with beautiful brown and grey feathers with blue-green eye-shaped spots on its tail and they are a vulnerable species as listed on the IUCN Red List, which makes it illegal to keep them as pets.

Did you know...

The Palawan peacock pheasant (Polyplectron emphanum) belongs to the genus Polyplectron of the Phasianidae family, they were earlier considered as a superspecies of the Malayan Peacock peasants and the Bornean peacock peasants, a subspecies of the peacock-pheasants.

Out of all the three mentioned species, the Palawan peacock pheasant is the largest which is also a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.

The Gray Peacock Pheasant (Polyplectron Bicalcaratum), another subspecies of the peacock-pheasants, is the most common of all the peacock pheasants subspecies and they range from the east end of the Himalayas, North Vietnam, and Malaya Peninsula.

Male peacocks are renowned for their beautiful feathers and male pheasants also display extraordinary colors.

Peacocks prefer living in temporary forests with water sources nearby their habitat and avoid human-populated areas. Whereas, pheasants prefer meadows, fields, and farmland.

These birds are also known as Pavo malacensis Scopoli and Polyplectron malacense malacense both of which are synonyms of their scientific name.

Are pheasants and peacocks related?

Pheasants like the argus pheasant and peacocks are members of the same Phasianidae family, which includes grouse, partridges, and turkeys. Despite being in the same family the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and the peacock (Pavo cristatus) differ in color, size, and are native to different regions of the world.

Do Malayan peacock pheasants migrate?

The Malayan peacock pheasant is endemic to Malay Peninsula lowland forests and is a non-migratory bird and because of this non-migratory practice, they cannot leave their native habitat in search of food sources. Earlier, these species were found all around Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sumatra, and Singapore.

Now they have vanished from their former range and the remaining population is limited to Malaysia.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these village weaver facts and Canadian goose facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Malayan peacock pheasant coloring pages.

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