Malayan Peacock-Pheasant
Polyplectron malacense
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderGalliformes (Landfowl)
- FamilyPhasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies)
- GenusPolyplectron (Peacock-Pheasants)
- SpeciesPolyplectron malacense (Malayan Peacock-Pheasant)
About the Malayan Peacock-Pheasant
The Malayan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron malacense) also known as crested peacock-pheasant or Malaysian peacock-pheasant, is a medium-sized pheasant of the galliform family Phasianidae. The closely related Bornean peacock-pheasant (P. schleiermacheri) was formerly included here as a subspecies, but as understood today, P. malacense is monotypic.
It is one of the shortest-tailed peacock-pheasants. Adult males are about 50 cm long, about half of which is made up by the tail. Their tarsus measures approximately 6.5 cm, and their wings are 20–21 cm long; they weigh from over 600 to nearly 700 g.
The female is slightly smaller than the male, with a noticeably shorter tail; measuring about 40 cm overall, its tail is slightly less than 20 cm long, while its tarsus measures c.6 cm and its wing length is 18 cm. Adult females weigh about 450-550 g.
Their plumage is generally pale brown with small black spots and bands all over, creating the "salt-and-pepper" effect found in most peacock-pheasants. It has iridescent blue-green eyespots with a buff border on its upperwings, back, and on the 22 rectrices, a white throat running down to the center of the breast... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Taman Negara National Park
Mountain Peacock-Pheasant
Polyplectron inopinatum
Bornean Crested Fireback
Lophura ignita
Great Argus
Argusianus argus
Malayan Crested Argus
Rheinardia nigrescens
Red Junglefowl
Gallus gallus
Roulroul
Rollulus rouloul
Malay Crestless Fireback
Lophura erythrophthalma
Green Peafowl
Pavo muticus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Malayan Peacock-Pheasant in Taman Negara National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Peacock-Pheasant sighting in Taman Negara National Park, based on 118 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Malayan Peacock-Pheasant in Taman Negara National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Malayan Peacock-Pheasant in Taman Negara National Park in our monthly data.