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  Profile

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  In flight

Game Birds

Palawan Peacock-Pheasant

Polyplectron napoleonis

• epic
• 32 km/h
• Vulnerable

Males flash iridescent ocelli that turn from violet to green as they bow. Delivers messages with a courtship dance.

Population

20,000–49,999 mature individuals (declining)

Habitat

Primary and secondary lowland and foothill forest, mostly below ~800–1,000 m elevation, on flat to rolling terrain; strongly prefers old-growth forest with large trees and avoids cultivated/cleared land

Fun fact

The male Palawan Peacock-Pheasant's iridescent blue-violet, eye-spotted tail and body feathers are so emblematic of the island that the bird appears on Puerto Princesa's official city seal and on the Philippine 100-peso banknote.

Range

Endemic to Palawan Island in the Philippines; extent of occurrence roughly 24,000 km2

Diet

Largely invertivorous — isopods, earwigs, insect larvae, termites, centipedes, small mollusks and frogs — supplemented with fallen fruit (drupes), seeds and berries

Size

0.5 m

Lifespan

15.7 years