Burung Keruai, The magnificent bird

The forests of Brunei are a place of awe – predominantly untouched and pristine. With half the forest being primary when walking through Wang Kadir, Temburong or also other Ulu places, you are bound to experience some form of exciting nature. You may not see a lot, however we can guarantee that you will certainly hear a lot.

Walking through the Bornean jungle is an experience of both excitement and nerve. An orchestra of insects and birds will fill your ears. Then, cutting through sounds, the sound of a helicopter comes out of nowhere. Right above you the sound quickly fades in then out. Wait what?! If you were quick to spot it you’d see the graceful body of a hornbill flying above (and occasionally through) the canopy. Brunei Darussalam is blessed to have eight species of hornbills: the pied, rhinoceros, black, wrinkled, wreathed, helmeted, white crowned and bushy crested.

Continue walking, and the sounds of water flowing over rapids and streams envelops you. Then, a scream penetrates the jungle perhaps for half a minute and then stops. What noise can give you such goose bumps? Alas, the scream does not return on this journey, but continues to haunt you on each trip you hear it; day after day, for months on end. Maybe it’s a peacock.

But a peacock in the Bornean jungle?

No, my friend. It is the Great Argus.

This magnificent bird is also known as the Burung Keruai by some local Bornean tribes. You hear this beautiful bird, but you will never see it. It’s so elusive.

After going in to the jungle for years and in fact almost growing up in them, we finally got to see them for the first time when we photographed them on our camera traps. In fact, on one camera, there are hardly pictures of anything else! The male tend to be seen maintaining or feeding at its dancing ground before 10am in the morning and sometimes again at around 4 or 5pm.

We have managed to get photographs of both sexes at an area, specifically cleared as a dancing ground by the male. We have yet to photograph them there at the same time. Mainly because the great argus is solitary for most of the year. Although these areas are courtship areas and a male holds a territory it does not appear that the females go around to different sites to inspect the male before selecting a mate. However, the males still do their best to impress, spreading their wings and circling her, flaunting the hundreds of eye spots.

Bird species often provide some of the most colourful examples of the natural world, and the great argus is no exception. The feathers that in other birds are used for flight have, in the great argus male, evolved into elongated feathers used to display to females. They are decorated with eye spots, similar to those seen on peacocks. With a burnt orange body and a bright blue face, the great argus is an impressive bird.

The great argus inhabits tall, dry, lowland primary and logged forests, from sea level up to around 1,300 metres, but principally below 900 metres. The great argus is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List although it faces steep decline thanks to rapid habitat deforestation, targeting lowland areas.

The male of this large Pheasant looks dulls and ungainly in ordinary circumstance but he suddenly becomes one of the marvels of the bird world when he displays the elaborate markings of his wings during his astonishing dance. Young males do not assume full adult plumage until the third year. The female resembles the male in a general way but is smaller and duller. They are extremely shy and difficult to see and they live alone. Females will come to meet the males only during the breeding period and keep apart the rest of the time. The male argus has a habit in common with the Rheinartia but probably more pronounced of clearing a circular area four or five yards in diameter which he uses as his playground; every twig and leaf are carefully removed. The argus spends most of his time in this clearing – walking, calling, resting and feeding in the vicinity.

The call of the Argus is mournful and drawn out yet beautiful at the same time and is repeated ten or a dozen times. It starts at a quick pace and gradually becomes slower and lower in volume. The argus’ food consists of mainly fallen fruit, seeds, ants, grubs and slugs. The females are able to fly well but the males are handicapped by his long secondaries (Jean Delacour in The Pheasants of the World).

Therefore, ‘Burung Keruai’ the great argus pheasant of Brunei Darussalam is truly a bird of legend and stunning beauty.

And finally, a very big thank you Louise Fletcher for contributing to conservation in Brunei by training us Bruneians and also conducting research with the 1stopBrunei Wildlife team. Thank you KFC Brunei for making a real change to the environmental scene in the Abode of Peace.

Article written by Muhammad and Louise Fletcher.