Green Peafowls of Malaysia

I started this write up on 9th October 2018, due to lack of information I had to halt it for sometime...

Here it goes!

I never know peafowls existed in Malaysia until I read a book titled as "Malayan Animal Life" written by J.L. Harrison and M.W.F Tweedie (1970), in the year 1997. Sadly not much information been shared in their writings. They mentioned that peafowls once found in the coastal flats of Terengganu and Pahang. Then by coincidence I came across a newspaper article on extinct animals of Malaysia, and found that Green Peafowl is one of them. Lets look further about the Green Peafowls.

Green Peafowls (Pavo muticus) are once found from North Eastern India to the Malay Peninsula, as well as in Java. Green peafowl were indicated with "Pavo laponensis" as their scientific name. This is due to some paintings from Japan. The Japanese had imported Green Peafowls from South East Asia for hundred of years, and these birds were frequently depicted in their paintings. This had made, Carl Linneus to classify these birds under the species name of "Laponensis", means "habitat in Japan". Green peafowls are not native birds of Japan. They were kept by the emperors and now they are no longer occur.  

Painting of Green Peafowls in pair by Maruyama Okyo (1781). [Credits: Wiki]

Green peafowls were further classified under three subspecies:

1. Pavo muticus muticus (Classified in 1766), Javan Peafowl - Formerly found throught Malay Peninsular and Java. Now endemic to Java.

2. Pavo muticus imperator  (Classified in 1949), Indo Chinese Peafowl - Found in IndoChina and Yunnan Province. 

3. Pavo muticus spicifer (Classified in 1804), Burmese Peafowl - Found in Burma and South Western Thailand. Formerly found in Bangladesh and Northern Malay Peninsular. 

So how to distinguish them in the field? Seriously...no idea, since there are few variation of size and plumage within its subspecies, based on the region that it came from. Any sightings in Malaysia? Yes...1! According to EBird, there is a sighting recorded by someone named "Stephen Carter" at Pulau Pangkor Laut on 15th March 2006. Two green peafowls were found, and Stephen doubt it could feral or introduced. Furthermore it is not a validated record. I believe it could be a hybrid Indian peafowl which has a green plumage instead of the usual blue, which do look similar to an actual Green Peafowl. I have seen such peafowl at Kuala Lumpur Bird Parks ago. Those are not the real Green Peafowls that we are looking for.

A hybrid Indian Peafowl with green plumage at KL Bird Park.
(6th Oct 2018)

The Green Peafowl once sighted in 1956 and 1958 by John Corder, the co-vice president of World Pheasant Association (WPA) at the coastal area of Terengganu. The last sighting was recorded before 1965, along the river margin of Besut (Terengganu). According to WPA, the birds faced habitat loss during the 60s due to the extensive clearing of forest to make way for oil palm plantation. Then they move to the river valleys and adjacent flatland, which made them more vulnerable to hunting. Peafowls were hunted for their meat, feathers and eggs.

In order to reintroduce the green peafowl, Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), initiated a program in 1990 by collaborating with WPA. Four pairs of  green peafowls were given to PERHILITAN by WPA. These birds were distributed to Malacca Zoo and Sungkai Wildlife Breeding Centre (Perak). Second batch of birds came in the year 2004, about a dozen of young birds aslo from WPA. PERHILITAN claimed that the reintroduction will be done in 3 years (means in 2007), when the second batch of birds starts to adapt themselves in a semi wild environment and starts to reproduce. PERHILITAN really want to make sure the reintroduction not to be disrupted by the (previous) extinction factors again.

Another source told that the reintroduction was pending for long just for finding a suitable location for reintroduction. Earlier PERHILITAN mentioned to release the birds at Kuala Tahan (Taman Negara, Pahang) once the birds are able to reproduce. However no information found for such activity so far. If they had reintroduce the birds, some of the birders might had sighted them in Taman Negara. I did checked with many senior birders, yet no sightings recorded so far for green peafowls in the wild.

WPA did carried out a study on the first batch of birds at Malacca Zoo. They have been breeding and flying out of the zoo to feed on the grass at the nearby golf course. A total of 13 birds were claimed to be sighted in this area, which includes 4 chicks and 2 females. This was during 2006. I am unable to get any information on its current status, unless I make a visit.

On 12th April 2023, a friend of mine, Yoganathan, posted in our Whatsapp group chat, that the green peafowls were released at Taman Negara Sungai Relau, based on a Facebook post by Endemicguides. This has got my attention and I quickly contacted Mr. Ismail of PERHILITAN for further info. He did mentioned to me that 4 peafowls (3 males and 1 female) were released at Taman Negara Sungai Relau by PERHILITAN on 4th April 2023, as a trial of reintroducing the peafowls back to the wild. Mr Ismail further updated that second batch of release will be done if the first trial is successful. The second batch will be released in different location if in case the first trial fails. Another bird enthusiast, Apiq Sulaiman, shared me a photo of the green peafowl from Sungai Relau taken by his friend, Sabrie, who is serving as a bird guide in Taman Negara Sungai Relau. 

A male Green Peafowl from Taman Negara Sungai Relau (Merapoh, Pahang).
Photo credit: Sabrie Zoo.

I wish to share some information on the Blue or Indian Peafowls from a temple at Dengkil. At Mayuranathar Temple of Dengkil, they had brought in 10 blue peacocks (Pavo cristatus) and they are reared openly. No cage! They are free to roam around the oil palm plantation surrounding the temple without any harm, even with human presence. They successfully breed as well, since chicks were found with the female birds. 3 years back there were 18 birds in total. Some of these peafowls roam as far as  Paya Indah Wetland of Dengkil as one of the bird photographer, Mr Tim Looi,  had seen it perching on a tree at this location (Feb 2023). Therefore peacocks are breedable in case there is no human interference such as hunting, trapping or egg collecting activities. 

Indian Peafowl (male) at Paya Indah Wetland. Photo by: Tim Looi (19th Feb 2023)

I hope PERHILITAN's effort will be successful and the Green peafowls will roam again in the wild as they used to be many decades ago.. It could be an added jewel to Malaysia's list of natural treasures.