The Congo peafowl Afropavo congensis
The Congo peafowl is the only species of pheasants naturally distributed in Africa. The head and face of the Congo peafowl are covered with short velvety black feathers. The skin on the throat area is bright red and largely naked. The bill has bluish-grey colour. The lower neck is covered with sparse dark feathers, which begin to grow more densely below the throat. The crest of the male Congo peafowl has two parts; the front part consists of a turf of coarse white, long bristles, and behind it, is another, shorter, turf of black feathers. The upper part of the body is bronze green with a broad violet-blue fringe. The upper tail coverts (train) carry rounded, bright ocelli similar to those typical for Asian peafowl. The tail feathers are black, glossed with greenish-blue on the outer web; the under-tail coverts are dark green, with black tips. The bluish-grey legs of the males have long, slender spurs. Male Congo peafowl have a body length of 64–70 cm. The female also has a crest of rufous chestnut feathers. The feathers on the female’s head are chestnut brown, the facial skin is greyish, and the naked skin patches are present on the neck. The upper parts of the body and wing coverts are green, barred with buff fulvous. The feathers on the back and wings have light metallic tinge. Females are somewhat smaller than males, measuring 60–63 cm in body length. Female Congo peafowl have spurs on the legs, but they are smaller than the spurs of the males. The Congo peafowl inhabit tropical forests of Central Africa. The nest is built on the ground, under a shrub or tree; the clutch usually contains three or four rufous buff, unspotted eggs that are incubated exclusively by the female. The biology of this species in the wild is poorly studied. The Congo peafowl is included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as vulnerable.
