The Palawan Peacock Pheasant lives in the rainforests of Palawan Island in the Philippines. Males have iridescent blue plumage, while females are brown and blend into the forest floor.
The male has metallic blue wings and blue spots on the tail. The female has soft brown plumage and a spotted tail.
Male Palawan Peacock-Pheasants vary in the white stripe above the eye. Some have a full stripe joined behind the head, others lack it, and some show a partial stripe. Several head patterns therefore occur within this island species.
A 2015 study gathered head photographs from 12 museums in Europe and the United States, and compared photographs of wild birds on Palawan. Specimens labelled only with the island’s name were excluded from the geographic analysis.
The two northernmost localities held only full-striped birds, while two southeastern localities held only birds without stripes. Partial stripes occurred at central localities. The authors proposed field surveys and genetic studies to investigate the history behind this geographic variation.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
An official Philippine environment department summary of a 2022 post-typhoon assessment calls for stronger enforcement against hunting and poaching of this species during forest recovery. It also recommends assisted natural regeneration and vegetation monitoring. Restoring damaged habitat while reducing hunting pressure is important locally.