Placeholder — replace: great argus display clearing on the forest floorBirds of Danum · Pheasant
Great argus
Argusianus argus
A giant forest pheasant you'll almost certainly hear and probably never see — its wailing call is one of the defining sounds of the Danum night and dawn.
The bird
Field notes
Be honest about this one: you will hear the great argus — its ringing, mournful double-wail carries through the forest at dusk and dawn, and it's one of Danum's signature sounds — but actually seeing the bird is another matter entirely. Males clear and maintain a "dancing ground" on the forest floor, sweeping it spotless, and display there with wings spread into two enormous fans covered in the eye-spots ("argus" eyes) that give the bird its name.
Stumbling on an occupied dancing ground with a quiet guide is a birder's grail. Most visitors settle for the call and the swept clearing — which, once you know what made it, is a small thrill of its own.
Seen in Danum
Forest-floor dancing grounds on the quieter primary trails; far more often located by call than by sight.
Best site & season
Calls year-round, peaking at dawn and dusk. Seeing a displaying male is a matter of luck and a very quiet approach.
Find it on these
- Guided treks — the quiet primary trails
- Birdwatching in Danum — learning the calls
- The dawn chorus — article — where the argus fits the soundscape
Placeholder — replace: a swept dancing ground
Placeholder — replace: primary-forest floor
Placeholder — replace: the quiet-trail approachRelated
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