Argus (bird)
An argus, or argus pheasant, is a member of either of two species of bird in the family Phasianidae that are closely related to pheasants and peafowl. It has hundreds or thousands of tiny white spots on its plumage pattern, and thus its naming might have been in reference to the mythical hundred-eyed giant, Argus Panoptes.
| Argus | |
|---|---|
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| An argus illustration from The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Phasianinae |
| Groups included | |
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| Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa | |
Two genera of birds are considered arguses: Rheinardia and Argusianus. Within these genera there are a total of two recognized species, each with two subspecies. Argusianus has also been credited with a mysterious second species that is sometimes thought to have gone extinct, but this is most likely based on a simple genetic aberration in the established species.
- Genus Argusianus Rafinesque, 1815
- Great argus (Argusianus argus (Linnaeus, 1766))
- Genus Rheinardia Maingonnat, 1882
- Crested argus (Rheinardia ocellata (Elliot, 1871))
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