Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant vs Ahanta Spurfowl

Polyplectron chalcurum compared with Pternistis ahantensis

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant Ahanta Spurfowl
Scientific Name Polyplectron chalcurum Pternistis ahantensis
Order Galliformes Galliformes
Family Phasianidae Phasianidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 32.2 cm (12.7 in) 34.6 cm (13.6 in)
Weight 366.75 g (12.94 oz) 547.5 g (19.31 oz)
Diet Ground forager in Sumatran montane forest; eats seeds, fruits, invertebrates, and small animals. Feeds on seeds, invertebrates, and plant matter in West African lowland forest and thicket.
Clutch Size 2 3-12
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant only

None

Ahanta Spurfowl only

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Song & Call Comparison

Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant

Song

High-pitched, thin 'tsii-tsii' whistle; Sumatran endemic with quiet, high voice. Alarm a sharp 'kek'. Male calls during display from dense understorey. Rarely recorded in the wild.

Ahanta Spurfowl

Song

Loud, staccato 'krak-krak-KRAAK' from W African forest edge; slightly higher than larger spurfowl. Alarm is rapid explosive cackling. Pairs call in loose synchrony at dawn in secondary growth.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant

Endemic to the mountains of northern and central Sumatra; resident of submontane and montane forest, 600–1,800 m.

Ahanta Spurfowl

Resident of dense lowland and coastal forest in West Africa from Ghana to Cameroon; also found in Bioko Island.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant

Least Concern

Ahanta Spurfowl

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How to Tell Them Apart

Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant

Plumage

Brown with white shaft streaks; tail feathers with bronzy-green iridescent sheen lacking distinct round ocelli; differs from congeners in this reduced ocellation; reddish orbital skin; pale buff face scaling.

Ahanta Spurfowl

Plumage

Dark brown above with pale buff shaft streaks; whitish below with dark brown streaking; red bill; red orbital skin; yellow legs. Sexes similar; closely resembles Double-spurred Spurfowl; West African forests.

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About These Birds

Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant

A small Phasianidae pheasant (~367 g) endemic to montane forests of Sumatra, typically above 1,000 m. Males are brown with sparse bronze ocelli on the tail. Distinguished from related species by the reduced and bronzy iridescence. Forages on seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern within its montane habitat.

Ahanta Spurfowl

A medium Phasianidae spurfowl (~548 g) of lowland and secondary forest edges in West Africa from Ivory Coast to Nigeria. Dark brown streaked white; red orbital skin. Forages on the ground in pairs or small groups for seeds, berries, and invertebrates. Tolerates forest fragments; Least Concern.

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