Congo Peacock

Pair of Kongopfaus in the Antwerp Zoo

The Congo peacock ( Afropavo congensis ) is a little known species of bird in the pheasant family -like. It occurs in the northern Congo Basin and is the only representative of the pheasant -like in Africa.

Features

The average body size of Kongopfaus is smaller than that of the Asian peacocks. Males are 64 to 70 cm long, their tails reach a length of 23 -26cm. Females are 60 to 63 cm long with 19.5 to 22.5 cm long tails. The weight of the birds is 1135-1154 grams.

Male Kongopfaue wear a white feather crown, which can be quite short, her neck is bare, featherless areas, the extent of which is individually different. Your adult plumage, they get only at the age of two years, blue, black and green. Females are brown with green back and wings.

Way of life

The Congo peacock is shy and is only slightly observed in the wild. He lives in lowland rain forests below 1200 meters, and avoid areas that are closer than 25 km to the nearest human settlement and road. It feeds omnivorous, probably do termites a significant part of the food from. The incubation period depends on the local rainy season. 300 km south of the equator, the young birds were observed in January and February. Captive birds build their nest, which is a concave platform, at a height below 1.5 meters in shrubs or trees. Typically two or three, rarely to six eggs are laid, which are incubated 27-28 days. The chicks have downy feathers, which is cream-colored upper side black to black-brown, and the under side. Their wings are cinnamon.

System

The Congo peacock is probably related closely with the Asian peacock (Pavo ), and forms with them and some other genera, the subfamily Pavoninae. However, a relationship with the guinea fowl ( Numididae ) and the Hokkohühnern ( Cracidae ) It was suspected.