Fun Bornean Peacock Pheasant Facts For Kids
Gallery
Do you want to read about different types of birds like ostrich or sparrows? Then you will enjoy reading about the Bornean peacock pheasant.
The Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) is a type of rufous-brown, medium-sized peacock-pheasant and the rarest of them all. Similar to peacocks, the males are bright and colorful with a large spread fan-like tail, whereas females have a short stumpy tail.
One can easily separate a male and female peacock-peasant as the females are devoid of many colors, have a brown iris, and no spurs on their feet. The Bornean peacock-pheasant is found exclusively in the forests of Borneo, which makes it extremely susceptible to forest fires.
If you find the Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) interesting, then check out the hawk and eagle as well!
Bornean Peacock-Pheasant Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Bornean peacock-pheasant?
The Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) is a type of pheasant bird. They are from the same family as turkeys and peacocks.
What class of animal does a Bornean peacock-pheasant belong to?
The Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) belongs to the class of Aves.
How many Bornean peacock-pheasants are there in the world?
The total number of mature Bornean peacock-pheasant ranges from 600-1,700.
Where does a Bornean peacock-pheasant live?
The Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) is native to Borneo, an island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
What is a Bornean peacock-pheasant's habitat?
The Bornean peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron schleiermacheri, is found only within forests. They prefer lowland forests which are quite diverse with many types of fruit trees.
Who does Bornean peacock-pheasant live with?
Pheasants might live solitary lives, in pairs, or live together in small family groups. On the whole, the IUCN Red List describes them as social birds with a severely fragmented population across the forests of Borneo.
How long does a Bornean peacock-pheasant live?
The lifespan of the medium-sized Bornean peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron schleiermacheri, is not known.
How do they reproduce?
While peacock-peasants are generally monogamous and spend their lives together, the Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) is rather believed to be polygamous. The male pheasant's tail feathers are decorated, and they presumably claim a territory and gather a group of females that they mate with.
When their tails are spread fan-like, it's believed that's how the males attract mates. The female is smaller in size and plain-looking.
Males can be quite aggressive during this time. The mating season lasts from October to March. The female builds a nest on the ground.
Bornean peacock-pheasants lay one to two eggs, unlike regular pheasants, who may lay up to 12 eggs. When observed in captivity, the Bornean peacock-pheasant eggs hatched after 20 or 22 days of incubation.
What is their conservation status?
The Bornean peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron schleiermacheri, has been classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. The main causes for the decreasing numbers are forest fires, hunting, waterlogging, and development.
Bornean Peacock-Pheasant Fun Facts
What do Bornean peacock-pheasants look like?
*This is not a picture of a Bornean peacock-pheasant, but a picture of Indian Peafowl. If you have an image of the Bornean peacock-pheasant, please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.
The male Bornean peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron schleiermacheri, has a white throat. The patch of white throat continues down till their breast sides are resplendent with a metallic blue-green color. Their tail feathers are decorated in eye-shaped patterns.
These eye-shaped patterns are simply feathers decorated with large blue-green ocelli. The tail remains clustered behind them, but they can expand it to fan-like in a display. When they spread fan-like in a display, the feathers form a semi-circular fan with multiple eyes surrounding their body.
The base color of their body is rufous-brown. The female is smaller and duller brown in color.
They lack the white throat and spurs. Slight spotting is present on their back, starting from their breast sides. They have black legs, brown iris, and no spurs on their feet, unlike males who have two spurs.
How cute are they?
With their metallic blue-green feathers that shimmer in the light, the male of the species is charming and attractive. Bornean peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron schleiermacheri, cannot fly well and can only cover short distances like chickens which makes these medium-sized birds quite appealing. The female of the species is smaller and duller brown, but no less cute.
How do they communicate?
The Bornean peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron schleiermacheri, species communicate vocally. They use a mixture of shrill cackles that sounds like 'hor-hor'. They can also produce a 'kank-kank' sound that is quite similar to a duck quacking. The male species also use their tail feathers, decorated with large blue-green patterns, to attract females during mating season.
How big is a Bornean peacock-pheasant?
A Bornean peacock-pheasant male can be up to 19.6 in (50 cm) in length, and a female can be up to 14 in (35.5 cm) in length, which is almost half the size of a golden pheasant.
How fast can a Bornean peacock-pheasant move?
For covering short distances, pheasants prefer to run than fly, but the exact speed at which these birds fly or run is not known.
How much does a Bornean peacock-pheasant weigh?
The weight of the species is not known.
What are the male and female names of the species?
Male pheasants are called cocks, and females are called hens.
What would you call a baby Bornean peacock-pheasant?
Baby pheasants are called chicks.
What do they eat?
Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) feeds on berries, seeds, smaller invertebrates like slugs and snails, mollusks, isopods, and insects.
Are they poisonous?
Pheasants are not poisonous and do not pose a threat to humans.
Would they make a good pet?
Pheasants are great pets and can get along with some other birds like fowls and ducks. The Bornean peacock-pheasant however is a rare species, and a pair might cost as much as $500!
Did you know...
Peacocks are a type of pheasant! They are one of the three species of pheasants, which is why one can see similarities between the looks and behaviors of peacocks and peacock-pheasants.
The golden peacock is found in both Buddist and Jewish folklore. They are said to be found in the forest of Gir, India. However, this is simply a myth. Usually, the male of the giant argus pheasant species is mistaken for a golden peacock.
Are they endangered?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN Red List has listed the Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri) as Endangered. In 1985-1997, Kalimantan suffered from a forest fire that affected around 25% of its evergreen forest. This was one major incident that led to habitat loss.
How are they different from other pheasants?
The main differences between Burmese and Bornean peacock-pheasant are that the former is predominantly grey and larger in size, whereas the latter is brown. If one is looking for the most colorful peacock-pheasant, it is the Palawan peacock-pheasants with bright metallic blue-green feathers near its neck, large blue-green feathers on its tail, and a navy blue body.
This species eats seeds, smaller insects, and invertebrates.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our toco toucan facts and birds-of-paradise facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bornean peacock pheasant coloring pages.
We Want Your Photos!
More for You
See All
Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.
Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature, Masters of Art specializing in English and Communication Skills
Sonali RawatBachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature, Masters of Art specializing in English and Communication Skills
Sonali has a Bachelor's degree in English literature from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and is currently pursuing a Master's in English and Communication from Christ University. With considerable experience in writing about lifestyle topics, including travel and health, she has a passion for Japanese culture, especially fashion, and anime, and has written on the subject before. Sonali has event managed a creative-writing festival and coordinated a student magazine at her university. Her favorite authors are Toni Morrison and Anita Desai.
Disclaimer
1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.
