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| Common Name: | Malayan great argus | Family: | Phasianidae |
| Latin Name: | Argusianus argus | Diet: | Omnivore |
| Type: | Bird | Habitat: | Tropical Rainforests |
| Native To: | Asia | Social Unit: | Individual |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Near threatened |
Malayan great argus at Edinburgh Zoo
Here at Edinburgh Zoo we have two Malayan great argus,. The male arrived here in October 2010 whilst the female hatched in May 2002 and came to us from Antwerp Zoo, Belgium in June 2006.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
The Malayan great argus are currently held in a specially designed off-show breeding aviaries near the Education Centre.
Malayan great argus in the wild
As the name suggests, the Malayan great argus (Argusianus argus argus) is found in Malaysia, living in forests.
The argus is a very striking bird. Males and females are similar in appearance although females are smaller and lack the elongated secondary wing feathers and tail feathers of the male. Both sexes are mostly covered in long brown feathers, with a red-coloured chest and black feathers on the top of the head. Both sexes also have a blue, featherless face. As mentioned, males have greatly elongated secondary wing feathers and tail feathers that are decorated with thousands of iridescent "eye spots," or ocelli.
Although the argus roosts in the trees at night, it forages for food on the ground. Its diet consists of fruits, grains and insects.
For the majority of the year, males and females live alone, with each adult male argus having its own territory. As part of the mating ritual, the male will construct a ring out of sticks and twigs on the ground. He then calls to attract a female and entice her into the ring, where he performs a mating dance by approaching the female and spreading his wings wide to show off the "eye-spots" in his plumage. After mating, the female leaves and the male will then call for another female, mating with as many as possible.
The female will lay between two to four eggs on the ground, which she then incubates alone for approximately four weeks. The chicks are cared for only by the mother until they are self sufficient. The lifespan of the Malayan greater argus is approximately fifteen years.
Numbers of Malayan great argus are decreasing rapidly due to habitat loss due to logging and land conversion, as well as hunting and trapping for the cage-bird industry. Because of these threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this species as Near Threatened. This means that although the Malayan great argus does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable status now, it is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
Breeding programme category: ESB
IUCN Red List status: Near Threatened
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