WildView™

October 4, 2024

Looking for Love

- as seen by -

Ron Magill

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During courtship, the male great argus pheasant (Argusianus argus) makes an extraordinary display by inverting its wings and spreading its gorgeous feathers to create a circle of spots and dots surrounding a small opening where it looks through to see if the female is paying attention.

I was able to get down low to capture this moment of the display. The challenge was waiting for the split second when the female would lower her head so that I could get an unobstructed view of the male’s eye.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists this pheasant’s conservation status as “Vulnerable”. Human activities including deforestation threaten its habitat in parts of Southeast Asia. Conservation monitoring and management are in place.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This photo was chosen as the top submission for Wild View’s Spots and Stripes assignment. Congratulations!

Nikon D5 with Nikkor AFS 28-300mm lens and SB-800 speedlight

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