Crested argus

Crested arguses are large and spectacular peafowl-like birds in the genus Rheinardia of the pheasant family.

Although traditionally treated as a single species with two subspecies, it has long been suspected that a species pair is involved and recent evidence, albeit using the controversial Tobias criteria, also supports treating each subspecies as a separate species.^[1] The split results in two monotypic species:

The two forms differ significantly in plumage, display and vocalisations and both are threatened by human activity.

Crested arguses have dark-brown-spotted black and buff plumage, a heavy pink bill, brown irises and blue skin around the eyes. The head has two crests; the hind crest, which extends down the occiput, is erected when alarmed and during intentional behaviors including pair bonding and courtship displays. The male has a broad and greatly elongated tail of twelve feathers. The tail covert (or "train") of the male is the longest of any bird and is believed to contain the longest (and widest) feathers to occur in a wild bird; the Reeves's pheasant has tail feathers of similar length but which are considerably narrower. The tail coverts measure up to 1.73 m (5.7 ft) in length, giving the bird a total length of 1.9–2.39 m (6.2–7.8 ft).^[2]

The female is similar in size, with a prominent marbled barring and more colourful dorsal plumage than the male. Her conspicuous white facial plumage is like the male, marked with disruptive patterning. The female's crest is different morphologically, with more rigid plumes that take up more surface area along the occiput and upper hind neck. The female's tail is elongated and laterally compressed as is that of the male but of considerably shorter length. The average length of the female is 74–75 cm (2.43–2.46 ft). Despite being sexually dimorphic galliform by length, the male only weighs about 20% more than the female. The average weight is around 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).^[3]

The wings of the crested argus are of unusual size and length for its weight. They are wide and square like those of Argusianus versus rounded and abbreviated like those of 'true' pheasants. Additionally, there is no discernible trailing edge secondary wing notch amongst the flight feathers, indicating a capacity of sustained flight in species of this genus. Their wings are morphologically similar to the wings of certain semi-arboreal Craciformes, particularly guans of the genus Pipile. The feet and legs of crested argus are also notable in the presence of curiously developed leg scales in males which are widened in such a matter that they give each limb the appearance of the foreleg of a Varanid lizard. The toes are long and gracile and like other peafowls, the hind toe is less recumbent than those of more strictly terrestrial Galliformes.

Female Vietnamese crested argus at Ho Chi Minh City Zoo.