Great argus

File:Descent of Man - Burt 1874 - Fig 52.png for Charles Darwin's 1874 book, Descent of Man]]

Carl Linnaeus gave the great argus its specific name (from which its common name and genus name are derived) because of the intricate eye-like patterns on its wings, in reference to Argus, a hundred-eyed giant in Greek mythology.{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names| location = London, England | publisher= Christopher Helm | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page = 55}} There are two subspecies recognized: Nominate argus of the Malay peninsula and Sumatra, and A. a. grayi of Borneo. William Beebe considered the two races to be distinct species, but they have since been lumped.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The genus Argusianus was introduced in 1849 by the English zoologist George Gray with the great argus as the type species.{{ cite book | last=Gray | first=George Robert | author-link=George Robert Gray | year=1849 | title=The genera of birds : comprising their generic characters, a notice of the habits of each genus, and an extensive list of species referred to their several genera | volume=3 | location=London | publisher=Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans | at=[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/52815651 Appendix p. 47, Note 16]; [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/52815131 p. 496] }} The title page has 1849. For the publication date see {{ cite journal | last=Bruce | first=Murray D. | date=2023 | title=The Genera of Birds (1844–1849) by George Robert Gray: A review of its part publication, dates, new nominal taxa, suppressed content and other details | journal=Sherbornia | volume=8 | issue=1 | pages=1–93 [18] | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368392529 | ref=none }} {{ cite journal | last=Gregory | first=Steven M.S. | date=2011 | title=The authorship of the generic name Argusianus | journal=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club | volume=131

| issue=3 | pages= 206–208 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50781157 }}{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=July 2023 | title=Pheasants, partridges, francolins | work=IOC World Bird List Version 13.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/pheasants/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=24 November 2023}}

The double-banded argus (Argusianus bipunctatus), known only from a portion of a single primary flight feather, was long considered a potential second species. It was described in 1871 from this feather piece, found in a millinery shipment imported to London. Its origin was hypothesized to be from Java, Indonesia or Tioman Island of Malaysia, because of the great argus's absence from these locations. Parkes (1992) rejected the double-banded argus's validity and argued that it almost certainly represents a mutant form of the great argus. The IUCN, following the precautionary principle, listed this taxon as extinct until 2012. It was removed from the IUCN Red list because the IOC had removed this species from its list of valid bird taxa in 2011. While the feather is indeed quite distinct, it represents a fairly simple divergence: The entirely asymmetrically-patterned vanes are instead near-symmetrical, and both bear the darker brown shaftward area with dense whitish speckles. The shaft is thinner than usual and the feather would probably not have been useful for flight.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Nothing similar has come to notice ever since, and as the feather piece is not a composite of two feather halves glued together but an apparently natural specimen, a hoax or fake can be ruled out. Despite all conjecture that has been built around the feather piece, all that can be said is that at some time around 1870, an argus pheasant which bore at least one such feather was shot in an unknown location. Even if this individual was one of the last remnants of a now-extinct population, it is unlikely that only a single feather would have been taken from an unusual specimen of a well-known, often-hunted, and conspicuous bird, and that this single feather would have then been bundled into a shipment of normal great argus feathers. The feather is now housed in the Natural History Museum in London.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The great argus is known in the Malay language as Kuang raya, the "great pheasant" [http://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=kuang Kamus Dewan, kuang]

File:Great argus (Argusianus argus).jpg

The great argus is a brown-plumaged pheasant with a blue head and neck, rufous red upper breast, black hair-like feathers on the crown and nape, and red legs.

Unusual among Galliformes, the great argus has no uropygial gland.{{citation needed |date= February 2025}}

File:Argus ocellatus & Argus bipunctatus.jpg Rheinardia ocellata) and Argus bipunctatus (fourth)]]

The male is one of the largest of all pheasants, measuring {{convert|160|-|200|cm|in|abbr=on}} in total length, including a tail of {{convert|105|-|143|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and weighing {{convert|2.04|-|2.72|kg|abbr=on|lb}}.{{Cite book |last1=del Hoyo |first1=J. |last2=Elliott |first2=A. |last3=Sargatal |first3=J. |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |year=1994 |url= https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/550 |volume=2: New World Vultures To Guineafowl |publisher=Lynx Edicions |isbn= 8487334156 |pages=550–563 }} Males have very long tail feathers and huge, broad and greatly elongated secondary wing feathers decorated with large eyespots. Young males develop their adult plumage in their third year.{{Cite web|url=http://www.beautyofbirds.com/greatarguspheasants.html|title=Great Argus Pheasants |date= 16 September 2021 |website=Beauty Of Birds |language=en |access-date=13 October 2017}}

Females are smaller and duller than males, with shorter tails and fewer eyespots. They measure {{convert|72|-|76|cm|abbr=on|in}} in total length, including a tail of {{convert|30|-|36|cm|abbr=on|in}}, and weighs {{convert|1.59|-|1.7|kg|abbr=on|lb}}.

It feeds on the forest floor in early morning and evening.

File:Great Argus displaying wings 3.jpg. ]]

File:Great Argus displaying wings 1.jpg

The male clears an open spot in the forest and prepares a dancing ground. He announces himself with loud calls to attract females, then he dances before her with his wings spread into two enormous fans, revealing hundreds of "eyes" while his real eyes are hidden behind it, staring at her.{{cite web |url= http://www.honoluluzoo.org/great_argus.htm |title= Great Argus |website= Honolulu Zoo |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100605061232/http://www.honoluluzoo.org/great_argus.htm |archive-date= 5 June 2010}}

Despite displays similar to polygamous birds and though the great argus was thought to be polygamous in the wild, it has been discovered that it is actually monogamous.{{cite web |url= http://www.whozoo.org/Intro2002/MarquitaHaf/MYH_arguspheasant.htm |title= Argus Pheasant |last= Krull |first= Dave |date= 2002 |website=WhoZoo |publisher= Fort Worth Zoo |access-date= |quote= The argus pheasant has also been found to be monogamous in the wild. }} The hen lays only two eggs.{{cite web |url= http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/NDG/Pheas/Argus/BRKGtArgus.html|title= Great Argus Pheasant |last= Koffler |first= Barry |date= 2004 |website= FeatherSite |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}

The great argus is native to the jungles of Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula in southeast Asia.

Due to ongoing habitat loss and to being hunted in some areas, the great argus is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.{{Cite web |title=Argusianus argus {{!}} CITES |url=https://cites.org/eng/taxonomy/term/2525 |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=cites.org}}

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite journal|last1=Davison |first1= G. W. H. |author2=McGowan, Phil |title=Asian enigma: Is the Double-banded Argus Argusianus bipunctatus a valid species?|journal=BirdingASIA |volume=12|year= 2009|pages=94}}

{{cite journal|last1=Parkes |first1= K. S.|year=1992|title=Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world, in "Recent Literature"|journal=Journal of Field Ornithology|volume=63|issue=2|pages=228–235|url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/51729}}

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• {{cite book |last=Fuller |first= Errol |date= 2000 |title= Extinct Birds| edition = 2nd |location= Oxford, New York |publisher= Oxford University Press |isbn= 0-19-850837-9}}

{{Commons}}

• ARKive – [https://web.archive.org/web/20060629031304/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/birds/Argusianus_argus/ images and movies of the Great Argus (Argusianus argus)]
• [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=283&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060511183950/http://www.rdb.or.id/detailbird.php?id=350 Red Data Book]

{{Phasianidae}}

{{Pangalliformes|Pha.|state=collapsed}}

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great argus

great argus

Category:Birds of Malesia

great argus

great argus