View source for Bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant

{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant
| image = Bronze-tailed Peacock-pheasant 0A2A6154.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 14 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Polyplectron chalcurum'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T22679361A92812514 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679361A92812514.en |access-date=14 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Polyplectron
| species = chalcurum
| authority = [[René-Primevère Lesson|Lesson]], 1831
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = 
* ''P. c. chalcurum'' {{Taxobox_authority | author = Lesson | date = 1831 }}<br/><small>Southern bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant</small>
* ''P. c. scutulatum'' {{Taxobox_authority | author = Hoogerwerf | date = 1941 }}<br/><small>Northern bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant</small>
| synonyms =
''Chalcurus chalcurus''
}}

The '''bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant''' ('''''Polyplectron chalcurum''''') is also known as the '''Sumatran peacock-pheasant'''.  It is an Indonesian [[bird]].

==Description==
The bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant is a small, up to 56&nbsp;cm long, dark brown [[pheasant]] with dark grey legs, rather small head and long, narrow tail of sixteen feathers. The tail feathers are chestnut brown with metallic purplish bars near tips. Both sexes are similar. The male has longer tail, two spurs on legs and yellow [[Iris (anatomy)|iris]] while the unspurred female's is dark brown.

==Taxonomy and evolution==
The bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant belongs to the family [[Phasianidae]] and the genus  ''[[Polyplectron]]'', which consists of seven peacock-pheasant [[species]]. There are two subspecies:
* ''P. c. chalcurum'', described by Lesson in 1831, which is known as the southern bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant.
* ''P. c. scutulatum'', described by Hoogerwerf in 1941, which is known as the northern bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant.

[[mtDNA]] [[cytochrome b|cytochrome ''b'']] and [[D-loop]] as well as the [[nuclear DNA|nuclear]] [[ovomucoid]] [[intron]] G data confirms that this species belongs to a [[clade]] together with the [[mountain peacock-pheasant]], but also the mainland species [[Germain's peacock-pheasant]] and [[grey peacock-pheasant]] (Kimball ''et al.'' 2001).

The molecular data suggests - though not with high confidence - that this species diverged relatively recently from ancestral grey peacock-pheasants. This is quite spurious, since [[biogeography]], its peculiarly derived plumage, and the fact that it is an insular mountain endemic indicate it is derived from a comparatively small [[founder population]]; this would confound molecular analyses. What seems clear is that the present species [[evolution|evolved]] from mainland Southeast Asian stock, probably during the [[Late Pliocene]] to [[Early Pleistocene]] (3.6-1 [[mya (unit)|mya]]<ref>Note that the [[molecular clock]] calibration method used by Kimball ''et al.'' (2001) is now known to be inappropriate, yielding far too low estimates in galliform birds.</ref>). The loss of ocelli thus is, contrary to long-held opinion, an [[autapomorphy]], and the southern species of this clade - formerly separated in the genus ''Chalcurus'' - are probably not each other's closest relatives.

==Distribution and habitat==
An [[Indonesia]]n [[endemism in birds|endemic]], the bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant inhabits to mountain forests of west [[Sumatra]].

==Behaviour==
As with other member in the [[genus]], this elusive bird is shy and very wary. But unlike other [[peacock-pheasant]]s, it has no [[ocelli]].

==Conservation==
The bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant is evaluated as Least Concern on the [[IUCN Red List]] of Threatened Species.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite journal |author1 = Kimball, Rebecca T. |author2=Braun, Edward L. |author3=Ligon, J. David |author4= Lucchini, Vittorio |author5=Randi, Ettore | date = 2001 |title = A molecular phylogeny of the peacock-pheasants (Galliformes: ''Polyplectron'' spp.) indicates loss and reduction of ornamental traits and display behaviours. | journal = [[Biological Journal of the Linnean Society|Biol. J. Linn. Soc.]] |volume = 73 | issue = 2 | pages = 187–198 | url = http://courses.washington.edu/ccab/Kimball%20et%20al%20-%20peacock%20phylogeny%20BJLS%202001.pdf }}

== External links ==
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=275&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]

{{Phasianidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q849988}}

[[Category:Polyplectron|bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant]]
[[Category:Birds of Sumatra]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1831|bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant]]
[[Category:Taxa named by René Lesson]]
[[Category:Endemic birds of Indonesia]]