Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant

(Polyplectron chalcurum)

• Avicultural Data
• Images
• Bibliography
• Links

Other Names: Lesson's or Sumatran Peacock-Pheasant.

Range: Endemic to Sumatra.

Subspecies: Two, South Sumatran (P. c. chalcurum) and North Sumatran (P. c. scutulatum). There is debate on the validity of scutulatum as a subspecies.

Habitat: Montane forests.

Brief Description: One of the smallest of all pheasants. Only Polyplectron species with no ocelli. Both sexes show no crest and facial area feathered with no bare skin. Males have long pointed tails with metallic purple patches near tip. Females are similar to males, but smaller with a shorter tail. Differences between chalcurum and scutulatum are slight as there is a great deal of variations between individuals.

Status in Wild: Not yet listed as endangered, but range is small and always threatened by habitat loss.

Avicultural Data

Status in Aviculture: Rare

Clutch Size: Two eggs

Incubation Period: 22 days

Click on thumbnails for larger views.

Photo Credits
(l to r): 1-2, Hugo Barbosa.

• Delacour, J. 1977. The Pheasants of the World. 2nd ed., World Pheasant Association and Spur Publications, Hindhead, U.K.
• Delacour, J. 1978. Pheasants: Their Care and Breeding. T.F.H. Publishing, Neptune, NJ.
• Howman, K. 1991. Pheasants of the World: Their Breeding and Management. Hancock House Publishers, Surrey, B.C. Canada.
• Johnsgard, P.A. 1999. The Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. 2nd ed., Smithsonian Press, Washington D.C.
• MacKinnon, J., Phillipps, K. 1993. The Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Bali, the Greater Sunda Islands. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• Madge, S., McGowan, P. 2002. Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
• Stattersfield, A.J., Crosby, M.J., Long, A.J., Wege, D.C. 1998. Endemic Bird Areas of the World, Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.

Links related to this species. Please note, links will open in a new window.

• A molecular phylogeny of the peacock-pheasants indicates loss and reduction of ornamental traits and display behaviours - PDF article from the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (2001), 73: 187–198.
• Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant - BirdLife Species factsheet.
• Wikipedia - Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant - Wikipedia's species page.