Double-banded Argus
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| Argusianus bipunctatus Wood, 1871 |
A mysterious pheasant, the Double-banded Argus, Argusianus bipunctatus is known only from the portion of a single primary remix feather. First described in 1871 from shipment imported to London.
Its origin was hypothesized to be from Java, Indonesia or Tioman Island of Malaysia, because of the Great Argus' absence from these locations. Parkes (1992) argued against it being a valid species, arguing the Double-banded Argus almost certainly represents a mutant form of the Great Argus.
While the feather is indeed much distinct, it represents a fairly simple divergence: The entirely asymmetrically-pattern vanes are instead near-symmetrical and both bear the darker brown shaftward area with innumerable whitish speckles. The shaft is smaller than usual and the feather would probably not have been useful for flight.
Nothetheless all conjecture that has been built around the feather, all that can be said is that at some time around 1870 an argus pheasant was shot that bore at least one such feather. No other such specimen has come to notice, and it can be safely assumed that no was involved. Even if the last remnant of a disappearing population, it is hard to believe that only a single feather would have been taken from an unusual specimen of a well-known, often-hunted, and conspicuous bird.
The feather is now housed in the British Natural History Museum. A photo of the specimen is in Fuller (2000:111).
[edit] See also
- Bogotá Sunangel
- Hooded Seedeater
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Argusianus bipunctatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as extinct
- Fuller, Errol (2000): Extinct Birds (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York. ISBN 0198508379
- Parkes, K. S. (1992): [Review of] "Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world". J. Field Ornithol. 63(2): 228-235. PDF fulltext
