Malayan Crested Argus Rheinardia nigrescens Scientific name definitions

Until very recently, the Malayan Crested Argus was considered conspecific with the Vietnamese Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata), but they are now treated as species apart based on their comparatively numerous morphological differences, and their divergent vocalizations. Rheinardia nigrescens is endemic to a tiny area in central Peninsular Malaysia, in and around Taman Negara National Park, where it is known almost exclusively from tall forests within a comparatively narrow elevational band. In the lowlands and on certain granitic, rather than sandstone, peaks in the same region, the species is apparently excluded due to competition with another large-bodied pheasant, the Great Argus (Argusianus argus). Suggestions in some of the older literature that males of these two species might share the same display courts, or that the Malayan Crested Argus occurs on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, have both now been discounted. Unlike the even more poorly known but geographically far more widespread Vietnamese Crested Argus, whose conservation is of extreme concern due to unbridled and large-scale trapping virtually throughout its range, the Malayan Crested Argus appears to have a far more secure future, largely protected by virtue of the relative remoteness of much of its habitat and because of its presence in a reasonably well-managed conservation unit.

Male unmistakable; white crest may be puffed out (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and rectrices of this species (and Vietnamese Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata) are the longest feathers in any bird. Female has distinctive head pattern (browner and duller than that of male, with a shorter crest) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and barred upperparts.

The white crest and enormous tail of the male should be virtually unmistakable in the highlands of Peninsular Malaysia, whilst the combination of size and prominent pale eyebrow should enable the easy identification of all other plumages; whilst the brown-barred upperparts of the female resemble those of a young Great Argus (Argusianus argus), but the broad-spaced barring on the tail and overall size are still distinguishing marks (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Male Argusianus argus has a much smaller, black (not white), crest, bare blue facial skin, and brighter red legs (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); both species have an unusually small head, a compressed and very long tail of 12 feathers, in which the central rectrices are up to five times the length of the outermost pair, but the present species lacks the modified wing feathers of Argusianus argus (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). The Malayan Crested Argus is unlikely to be confused with any other pheasant.

Natal Down

Chicks have dark brown down above, buff below (3 Delacour, J. (1977). The Pheasants of the World. 2nd revised edition. Spur Publications, Hindhead and World Pheasant Association, Lamarsh, UK. Close ).

Juvenile

Resembles adult female, but young male starts to acquire some adult features after first moult (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). First-year male is similar to the adult male but tail shorter; attains adult plumage in third year, but tail increases with each moult, until fifth or sixth (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Adult

Male. Forehead and crown velvety brownish black, with a semi-erect, long silky-white crest, of which the feathers are stiffened basally, becoming finer and silkier at their tips; lores, broad superciliary, and lower cheeks buff; ear-coverts dark brown. Chin and throat buff, merging into the dull rufous-brown neck, which forms a narrow collar on hindneck, with large whitish-buff spots. Upperparts a mix of black and buffy white or whitish, the latter forming rows of irregular spots, sometimes with tinges of rufous or chestnut on the black parts, especially on the wing-coverts, or dark chestnut on the back and rump; on the tertials and secondaries, the spots are more rounded, and become more orange-rufous on the innermost secondary, with large black spots on the outermost secondaries, each one enclosing a spot or semi-circle of deep chestnut; and the primaries are mainly pale buff enclosing round or slightly elongate black spots, with buff lines on a black background on the outer webs. The very long central rectrices are pale slaty blue, becoming more black towards their tips and on their outer webs, each feather has the inner vane dull matt rufous-orange on which white spots are inset in broad gray rings; the ground color of the outer rectrices becomes darker, but with less chestnut, some white spots, and lines of central, black-centered, chestnut ocelli, except on the outermost pair, where they are lacking. Underparts similar to the upperparts, but there is on average more chesnut, and the spotting coarser on average.

Female. Forehead and crown black, becoming brown on the elongated, stiffened, occipital crest, which becomes grayish white and dull rufous rearward, whilst the lores, superciliary, sides of rear crown, chin, and upper throat are dingy buffy white. Mantle mainly olive-buff, faintly vermiculated dark brown, with broad irregular crossbars becoming more obvious and more distinct on the lower mantle, as well as over the wings and tail. Markings on the primaries more rufous, forming broken bars on the inner webs, and an irregular pattern on the outer ones, but are buffier on the secondaries, and very extensive on the outer feathers. Tail mainly black, with heavy olive-buff and broad transverse barring on the central rectrices, which is much reduced on the outer feathers. Apart from the throat, which is dark rufous, the underparts are olive-buff, very finely vermiculated with black.

Very few data; freshly shed male body and wing feathers (but not rectrices) have been found at display courts in March and May, while an adult male collected in early July was moulting pp6‒7 and had shed its central tail feathers, whereas another from mid December was not replacing any feathers, and a female from mid October showed no evidence of wing molt but was growing its central rectrices (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

Bill

Nareal area blackish, adjacent area of bill (distal to nares) rosy (4 Ogilvie-Grant, W. R. (1908). Report on the birds. Journal of the Federated Malay States Museum 3:15–57. Close ), rest of bill yellowish horn with a paler tip and cutting edge; browner in female.

Iris

Brown (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); periorbital skin bluish gray (male) (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

Legs and Feet

Brownish pink and usually unspurred in both sexes.

Linear Measurements

Overall length male 190–235 cm; female 74–75 cm (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Linear measurements of five adult males, in mm, with means in parentheses, from Davison et al. (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ):

Mass

No information.

Rheinardius ocellatus nigrescens Rothschild, 1902, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 12:55.—Ulu Pahang, eastern Malay Peninsula. Restricted by Robinson (6 Robinson, H. C. (1906). A synopsis of the birds at present known to inhabit the Malay Peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra. Part 2. The Gallinaceous birds. Journal of the Federated Malay States Museum 1:124–132. Close ) to the Ulu Dong River, Gunung Benom, but this was rejected by Davison (7 Davison, G. W. H. (1980). The type locality of Rheinartia ocallata nigrescens. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 100(2):141–143. Close ), who instead restricted the type locality to the middle slopes of Gunung Tahan, northern Pahang.

A lectotype and two paralectotypes are held at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, all taken by native collectors on behalf of Johann Watersradt in October or November 1901, and January 1902, as follows: male (lecotype, AMNH 544050), male (paralectotype, AMNH 544051), and female (paralectotype, AMNH 544052) (8 Hartert, E. (1927). Types of birds in the Tring Museum. Novitates Zoologicae 34(1):1–38. Close , 9 Greenway, J. C. (1973). Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part I: Tinamidae–Rallidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 150(3):209–345. Close ).

Universally treated as conspecific with the Vietnamese Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata) (10 Peters, J. L. (1934). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 2. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. Close , 11 Delacour, J. (1951). The Pheasants of the World. Country Life, London, UK. Close , 12 Inskipp, T., N. Lindsey, and W. Duckworth (1996). An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region. Oriental Bird Club, Sandy, UK. Close , 13 Johnsgard, P. A. (1999). The Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. Close , 14 Dickinson, E. C., and J. V. Remsen, Editors (2013). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1. 4th edition. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close ) until very recently. Also maintaining the single-species arrangement, del Hoyo and Collar (15 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2014). HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ) nevertheless suggested that a taxonomic reappraisal was perhaps warranted. Subsequently, Davison et al. (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ) rose to the challenge and published morphological and vocal evidence for their separation; see also Sounds and Vocal Behavior. Using the Tobias et al. (16 Tobias, J. A., N. Seddon, C. N. Spottiswoode, J. D. Pilgrim, L. D. C. Fishpool, and N. J. Collar (2010). Quantitative criteria for species delimitation. Ibis 152(4):724–746. Close ) criteria, from which scores in parentheses are derived, Davison et al. (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ) scored the morphological differences between the two crested argus as follows: supercilium buff versus stony white, usually broader and stronger, and contrasting more strongly with the blacker crown and ‘face’ (at least 2); nareal area blackish, adjacent area of bill (distal to nares) rosy (4 Ogilvie-Grant, W. R. (1908). Report on the birds. Journal of the Federated Malay States Museum 3:15–57. Close ), rest of bill yellowish horn with a paler tip and cutting edge, versus bill including all but the base of the nareal area rosy pink, slightly paler at tip, deeper pink above and behind nostril (11 Delacour, J. (1951). The Pheasants of the World. Country Life, London, UK. Close ) (score 3); white of throat more contrasting, buffier (in an echo of the supercilium differences) and more extensive, versus a less striking grayish white shading quickly into a dull rufous-brown lower neck (present in nigrescens as a very narrow zone where the white lower throat grades into the spotted body) (ns[2]); occipital crest pointing directly backwards rather than tending to spread laterally, with much longer and coarser filoplumes (lacking the fluffiness of ocellata), and consisting of two colors in different proportions, namely a relatively sparse number of elongate black feathers positioned above 5–10 times as many much longer white feathers, versus soft, decurving sooty-brown feathers shading first to slightly rufous-tinged brown and then creamy white, producing an obviously different profile in display (score 3); white spots on blacker body and wings much more distinct, being smaller and fewer (hence more widely spaced) and more linearly arranged compared to the dense buffy-white speckling of ocellata (ns[2]); and inner vanes of largest rectrices with dull matt rufous-orange background on which white spots are inset in broad gray rings, versus with gray background, the dull matt rufous-orange contracting to islands between the white spots (ns[2]). Rheinardia nigrescens is also slightly larger than Rheinardia ocellata, with no overlap in tarsus or wing, and very little in the crest (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ).

The confused history of the spelling of the genus name was related by Banks (17 Banks, R. C. (1993). The generic name of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata. Forktail 8:3–6. Close ).

None.

Presumably very closely related to the Vietnamese Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata) (see above), although this relationship has not been definitely tested genetically (the provenance of the sample of ocellata sensu lato is unclear(, and the two species of Rheinardia are otherwise most closely related to the Great Argus (Argusianus argus) (18 Norsyamimi, R., M. K. Noor Azleen, M. Zainal Abidin, E. R. Osman, H. M. Ismail, M. K. S. Ahmad Khusaini, and J. J. Rovie-Ryan (2020). Partial cytochrome b sequence of Crested Argus from Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Wildlife and Parks 35:129–138. Close ).

No information.

Endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, where it is further confined to a small area of mountains within and immediately adjacent to Taman Negara National Park in Kelantan and Pahang, as follows (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close , 19 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ): Gunung Rabong (20 Wells, D. R. (1975). Malayan bird report: 1972 and 1973. Malayan Nature Journal 28:186–213. Close , 21 Davison, G. W. H. (1979). Studies of the Crested Argus. III: Gunong Rabong 1977. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:76–80. Close , 22 Wells, D. R. (1983). Malayan bird report: 1976 and 1977. Malayan Nature Journal 36:197–218. Close , 23 Wells, D. R. (1984). Malayan bird report: 1978 and 1979. Malayan Nature Journal 38:113–150. Close , 24 Davison, G. W. H., and K. Scriven (1987). Recent pheasant surveys in Peninsular Malaysia. Pp. 90–101 in: Savage & Ridley (1987). Close , 25 Siti Hawa Yatim (1993). The status and distribution of pheasants in Peninsular Malaysia. Pp. 28–39 in: Jenkins (1993). Close , 26 Mamat, I. H., and M. N. Yasak (1998). The status and current distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird Conservation International 8(4):325–330. Close ); Gunung Gagau (27 Wells, D. R. (1990). Malayan bird report: 1984 and 1985. Malayan Nature Journal 43:148–171. Close , 25 Siti Hawa Yatim (1993). The status and distribution of pheasants in Peninsular Malaysia. Pp. 28–39 in: Jenkins (1993). Close ); Gunung Tulang Rabong (27 Wells, D. R. (1990). Malayan bird report: 1984 and 1985. Malayan Nature Journal 43:148–171. Close ); Gunung Mandi Angin (25 Siti Hawa Yatim (1993). The status and distribution of pheasants in Peninsular Malaysia. Pp. 28–39 in: Jenkins (1993). Close , 26 Mamat, I. H., and M. N. Yasak (1998). The status and current distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird Conservation International 8(4):325–330. Close ); Gunung Penumpu (26 Mamat, I. H., and M. N. Yasak (1998). The status and current distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird Conservation International 8(4):325–330. Close ); and Gunung Tahan (28 Hartert, E. (1902). On birds from Pahang, eastern Malay Peninsula. Novitates Zoologicae 9:537–580. Close , 29 Davison, G. W. H. (1980). The evolution of the Crested Argus. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 5:91–97. Close , 24 Davison, G. W. H., and K. Scriven (1987). Recent pheasant surveys in Peninsular Malaysia. Pp. 90–101 in: Savage & Ridley (1987). Close , 25 Siti Hawa Yatim (1993). The status and distribution of pheasants in Peninsular Malaysia. Pp. 28–39 in: Jenkins (1993). Close , 26 Mamat, I. H., and M. N. Yasak (1998). The status and current distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird Conservation International 8(4):325–330. Close ). Perhaps occurs on other poorly explored slopes in the region (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ), but historical reports from Gunung Benom are no longer accepted (7 Davison, G. W. H. (1980). The type locality of Rheinartia ocallata nigrescens. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 100(2):141–143. Close , 2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close , 19 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ) as Rheinardia nigrescens appears to be replaced by Great Argus (Argusianus argus) thereon (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

There appears to be little or no evidence that the species’ distribution was historically more extensive (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close , 19 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ), and reports that the species formerly occurred on Sumatra are unsubstantiated (30 Davison, G. W. H. (1979). Alleged occurrences of Rheinartia ocellata in Sumatra. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 99(2):80–81. Close ).

Found in a narrow ecological belt between 650 m and 1,380 m (26 Mamat, I. H., and M. N. Yasak (1998). The status and current distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird Conservation International 8(4):325–330. Close , 31 Liang, S. H., D. L. Yong, A. K. Abdul Hashim, P. Abdul Patah, R. Ilias, H. R. Abdul Halim, A. K. Mohd. Kharip Shah, T. T. Le, and G. R. Clements (2018). Peninsular Malaysia’s forgotten pheasant: recent records and distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata. Forktail 34:48–51. Close ), with the lowest records tending to be on ridge-crests, and the highest being of females (20 Wells, D. R. (1975). Malayan bird report: 1972 and 1973. Malayan Nature Journal 28:186–213. Close , 32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close , 24 Davison, G. W. H., and K. Scriven (1987). Recent pheasant surveys in Peninsular Malaysia. Pp. 90–101 in: Savage & Ridley (1987). Close , 2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ), in transitional hill dipterocarp/upper dipterocarp forest with a sparse understory (26 Mamat, I. H., and M. N. Yasak (1998). The status and current distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird Conservation International 8(4):325–330. Close ), where lowland forest gives way to montane forest, on sandstone, rather than granitic, massifs (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); it is usually recorded only in tall (30 m) forest, but has been seen in stunted forest (tallest trees 12 m) on Gunung Rabung, with a bamboo and fern understory containing species such as Dipteris conjugata and Matonia pectin (26 Mamat, I. H., and M. N. Yasak (1998). The status and current distribution of the Crested Argus Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens in Peninsular Malaysia. Bird Conservation International 8(4):325–330. Close ). Vegetation around the male’s ‘dancing grounds’ tends to be dominated by Shorea trees, with Eugenia and Melanorrhoea, and a variety of unidentified palms and undergrowth plants, but nevertheless topography (well-drained ridgetops and peat-like soils) is probably the chief factor governing their position (32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close ). The species’ distribution is presumably constrained by the presence in the lowlands of the Great Argus (Argusianus argus) (33 Davison, G. W. H. (1977). Studies of the Crested Argus. I: history and problems associated with the species in Malaysia. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 2:50–56. Close , 32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close , 34 Davison, G. W. H. (1979). The ecology and behaviour of some Malaysian Galliforms with special reference to Argusianus argus (Phasianidae). Ph.D. thesis, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Close ).

No information available.

Not well known. Food is believed to consist mainly of crickets (Orthoptera), and other insects (possibly including ants) (35 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Volume 1: Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ), but 17 droppings from one dancing ground contained 90% digested matter, probably vegetable, fragments of ferns, liverworts, and vegetable fibers; fruit remains in 59% of droppings, including rattan (Calamus) in 41%; and invertebrate remains, probably of ants (Formicidae) were encountered in 59% of droppings (32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close ). Chicks of this species, or Vietnamese Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata), cannot feed themselves for the first few days of life, and must be fed directly by the adult female (3 Delacour, J. (1977). The Pheasants of the World. 2nd revised edition. Spur Publications, Hindhead and World Pheasant Association, Lamarsh, UK. Close ).

Vocal Array

Short call. A rather pure whistled whuuhuhHUhuuu, delivered fluently in a single breath at fairly consistent amplitude, thereby resembling one protracted note with different internal emphases. It starts on a flat pitch, followed by a quavering middle part, and ends on about an even pitch. Typically given once per calling bout, but sometimes heard being repeated up to eight times in succession. When repeated, often in response to extraneous sounds such as gibbons, hornbills, thunder, or tree-falls, it can either be with a distinct interval of a few seconds between calls, or as a rolling uninterrupted sequence (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ). Audible over distances of 500 m or more (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

Long call. A single whistle that morphs into a series of 8‒17 very loud inflected disyllabic notes, transcribed as woooKI-IAU...KI-IAU...KI-IAU... (here, the introductory whistle morphs into three very loud notes). The introductory whistle is similar to that introducing each Short call. Once, a Long call ended as well as started with a whistled wooo (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ).

Sharp call. A long series of short notes that is rarely heard. Reportedly rather similar to the homologous vocalization of Vietnamese Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata) (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ).

Geographic Variation

Rheinardia nigrescens has long been considered conspecific with Rheinardia ocellata, until their differences, including vocal, were enumerated in an overview (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ): nigrescens has a longer (mean 1.62 versus 1.27 seconds) but lower-pitched Short call (mean maximum frequency 1,238 Hz versus 1,625 Hz) consisting of a diagnostic single continuous whistle on a level pitch followed by quavering modulations, versus two emphasized overslurred notes. The Long call of nigrescens also is quite different (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ). It is interesting to observe that the Short call of Rheinardia ocellata is very similar to that of the allopatric Great Argus (Argusianus argus) (36 Beebe, W. (1918-1922). A Monograph of the Pheasants. 4 Vols. Witherby, London. (Reprinted by Dover Press in 2 vols in 1990). Close , 34 Davison, G. W. H. (1979). The ecology and behaviour of some Malaysian Galliforms with special reference to Argusianus argus (Phasianidae). Ph.D. thesis, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Close ), whereas the Short call of nigrescens (sympatric with Argusianus argus but separated by elevation) is quite different, suggesting that the voice of nigrescens evolved to differentiate it from A. argus, but that of Rheinardia ocellata retained more ancestral features.

Phenology

The Short call is presumably given only during the breeding period, mainly in March‒May (32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close ,37 Johnsgard, P. A. (1986). The Pheasants of the World. Oxford University Press, London, UK. Close ). Other vocalizations are also heard outside the breeding season.

Daily Pattern of Vocalizing

The Short call is mainly heard during the morning. Calling starts around 07.00 h and may continue until about midday (32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close , 37 Johnsgard, P. A. (1986). The Pheasants of the World. Oxford University Press, London, UK. Close ). It can occasionally also be heard in late afternoon and at night, during the latter possibly away from the display ground at a roosting site (3 Delacour, J. (1977). The Pheasants of the World. 2nd revised edition. Spur Publications, Hindhead and World Pheasant Association, Lamarsh, UK. Close , 32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close ). Long calls are also mainly given during the morning.

Places of Vocalizing

The Short call is typically given by the male from a cleared area (‘the dancing ground’). Long calls are given away from this display ground.

Sex Differences

The Short call is given by males, but apparently not by females. In the Long call, the distribution of loud notes seemingly is bimodal, containing either 7‒10 loud notes or 12‒17 loud notes. It is unknown whether this reflects a gender difference or has another explanation (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ).

Social Content and Presumed Functions of Vocalizations

The Short Call is given by the male at or near the display site, presumably both for territorial advertisement and mate attraction. No clear function has been proposed for the Long call. The Sharp call has been associated with distress or alarm (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), although possibly not exclusively (5 Davison, G. W. H., P. Boesman, N. J. Collar, and C. L. Puan (2020). Species rank for Rheinardia ocellata nigrescens (Phasianidae). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 140(2):182–194. Close ).

None documented.

Little reliable information available, but the season is believed to begin in March (13 Johnsgard, P. A. (1999). The Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. Close ), with calling by court-holding males recorded mid March to mid June, and half-grown young seen in mid June (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Solitary and territorial, the male calls and maintains dancing grounds by removing leaf litter, with mean distance between display areas 1,100 m (range 720‒1,440 m) on Gunung Rabong (32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close , 2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); polygamous, never forming pair-bonds (3 Delacour, J. (1977). The Pheasants of the World. 2nd revised edition. Spur Publications, Hindhead and World Pheasant Association, Lamarsh, UK. Close ). Display (in captivity and wild) involves male erecting crown feathers to expose white nape, as well as partially opening the tail and drooping wings while circling the female; similar in some respects to those of Polyplectron peacock-pheasants (38 Seth-Smith, D. (1932). The display of Rheinart’s Pheasant. Aviculturalists’ Magazine 4:122–132. Close , 39 Harrison, C. J. O. (1972). The display of Rheinart’s Pheasant. Pheasant Trust Annual Report 1971:24–28. Close , 34 Davison, G. W. H. (1979). The ecology and behaviour of some Malaysian Galliforms with special reference to Argusianus argus (Phasianidae). Ph.D. thesis, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Close , 1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Suggestions in some of the older literature that this species may occasionally share its ‘dancing grounds’ with Great Argus (Argusianus argus) are believed to be incorrect (34 Davison, G. W. H. (1979). The ecology and behaviour of some Malaysian Galliforms with special reference to Argusianus argus (Phasianidae). Ph.D. thesis, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Close ). No nest described. In captivity, clutch two deep pinkish-buff eggs finely spotted purplish brown; incubation 24–25 days (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

ENDANGERED. This categorization, however, still considers the genus Rheinardia to be a single species, which in the past was treated as Near Threatened in some of the first Red Data books (40 King, W. B. (Ed.) (1978–1979). Endangered Birds of the World: The ICBP Bird Red Data Book. Volume 2: Aves. 2nd edition. International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Morges, Switzerland. Close , 41 Collar, N. J., and P. Andrew (1988). Birds to Watch: the ICBP World Checklist of Threatened Birds. ICBP Technical Publication 8. International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, UK. Close ). CITES I. The overall population of both nigrescens and the formerly conspecific Vietnamese Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata) was until rather recently estimated at between 6,000 and 15,000 mature individuals. The present species is confined to the Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia (above 600 m) Endemic Bird Area, and has been particularly studied on Gunung Rabong in Peninsular Malaysia; some sources still report that the species occurs on Gunung Benom in Krau Wildlife Reserve, but these reports are now considered erroneous (7 Davison, G. W. H. (1980). The type locality of Rheinartia ocallata nigrescens. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 100(2):141–143. Close , 19 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Most of the known population and suspected suitable habitat lies within the relatively well-protected Taman Negara National Park (4,343 km²) (19 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Populations on each mountain (see Distribution) are likely to be small, but were considered to be probably fairly secure and stable at the end of the 20th century (2 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); more recently, however, evidence of poaching (using snares) has been found within the boundaries of the national park (18 Norsyamimi, R., M. K. Noor Azleen, M. Zainal Abidin, E. R. Osman, H. M. Ismail, M. K. S. Ahmad Khusaini, and J. J. Rovie-Ryan (2020). Partial cytochrome b sequence of Crested Argus from Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Wildlife and Parks 35:129–138. Close ). Based on field surveys, the total population has been estimated at ca. 500–2,000 individuals, and BirdLife International is now proposing to categorize this species as Near Threatened; field studies in the mid 1970s indicated a population density of ca. 8 birds/km² in 125–250 km² of habitat (32 Davison, G. W. H. (1978). Studies of the Crested Argus. II: Gunong Rabong 1976. Journal of the World Pheasant Association 3:46–53. Close , 22 Wells, D. R. (1983). Malayan bird report: 1976 and 1977. Malayan Nature Journal 36:197–218. Close ). It has been suggested that in future tourism might have detrimental effect on habitat, through proposed construction of access road for tourists. Several attempts have been made by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia to breed this species in captivity, as yet unsuccessfully (18 Norsyamimi, R., M. K. Noor Azleen, M. Zainal Abidin, E. R. Osman, H. M. Ismail, M. K. S. Ahmad Khusaini, and J. J. Rovie-Ryan (2020). Partial cytochrome b sequence of Crested Argus from Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Wildlife and Parks 35:129–138. Close ).