Sighting in Xishuangbanna

There has been a long fear that Green Peafowl would become extinct in Xishuangbanna, Southern Yunnan, China. Once renowned for Peafowl, but sadly, pure Green Peafowl have become largely extinct while Indian Peafowl and hybrids run feral in some areas of the prefecture. A wild Green Peafowl was photographed in Xishuangbanna in late June of 2014. Unfortunately, the situation here is a lot worse than Pu'Er, where Green Peafowl were observed in April of that year. First off, the eggs were already collected by locals who later helped the researchers track down the birds. The researchers have estimated there to be only around three individuals left in Xishuangbanna.

Green Peafowl egg, photo courtesy of the Forestry Bureau 

 A single bird was photographed before taking off. These two photographs were taken by researcher Li Zhe Jun.  It is ambiguous whether the bird is a female or a male that lacks a train. It also exhibits white feathering, which may be a sign of inbreeding, but naturally occurs in some individuals in the wild, often females. At first glance, it appears to be a female but it does have some traits which more resemble a male. The back isn't as extensively barred and there seems to be traces of what seems to be a male's train feathers. It could be this individual is a "trainless" male. While this is rare, Green Peafowl like these are still photographed every now and then. The Pu'Er individual photographed in April may also be of this morph. This may be a plesiomorphic throwback to an ancestral Peafowl that lacked ocelli.

It is not absolutely certain that this population is fully wild. Analysis of the photographs by experts shows no tampering of the photographs through Photoshop, suggesting the photos are indeed authentic. More field research is needed to validate the status of this population.

External Sources (in Chinese)

• Article and photographs
• An interview with the photographer, Li Zhe Jun (李泽君)