Great Argus

Great Argus are amongst the largest pheasants, related to the peafowls. Males have long  twin tail feathers, which grow to  a whopping 1.5 m in length, while their  flamboyant wing feathers boast many eyespots. 

This species is aptly named after Argus, the hundred-eyed giant in Greek mythology.   

Great Argus lives a solitary life, only coming together to mate. Famous for his courtship dance during the mating season, the male first clears an open patch on the forest floor.

He then issues a booming ‘kow-wow’ call that can be heard kilometres away to attract a female. For her eyes only, he fans out his spectacular wing and tail feathers, and prances around her to win her attention.