Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines

Palawan Island is a massive island of Philippines which is well-known for being the greatest island location in the South East Asia.  This island is popular for its tremendous beauty and outstanding landscape. Palawan Island has also got a biosphere reserve status and the biodiversity of this island is phenomenal.

Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines. Image: mjvc (flickr)

One particular of the magnificent bird species of the Palawan island is the Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines which is scientifically recognized as Polyplectron napoleonis. Palawan Peacock Pheasant is considered as the most graceful of the peacock species. The male Palawan Peacock Pheasant has a extended metallic blue crest with white lines above and beneath the eye. The rest of the head, below components, and flight feathers are black. Their plumage is of metallic green and black colour. The female is smaller than the male. It has a dark brown plumage with a short crest and is whitish on the throat, cheeks and eyebrows.

Palawan Pheasant Peacock Female . Image : Smugmug

The diet of the Palawan Peacock Pheasant of Philippines in the wild consists of a assortment of seeds, grains, nuts, fruit, leaves, roots, slugs, worms, and insects. Palawan Peacock Pheasant build their nests in a tree or on the ground. There are two off-white eggs per clutch that are incubated by the hen for about 18-20 days. The male pheasants do not incubate, but they aid with the feeding and rearing of the chicks. The present population is estimated at significantly less than 10,000 and is believed to be decreasing. The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines

Banaue Rice terraces of Philippines are deemed to be the 8th wonder of the world and why not? The ancient Ifugao tribes in this region carved these promenades practically 2500 years ago with their magnificent skills. And the wondrous aspect is, at that time they have been possessing no modern day tools and strategy but they managed to develop these terraces. And even right now these terraces are astonishingly in use.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Banaue Rice terraces are located approximately 1500 meters above sea level and cover about 4000 square miles of mountainside. To irrigate these handmade wonderful step fields the water of rain forests was arranged flowing from the terraces. Although in the present instances, the modern day Ifugauos are adopting most recent methods in order to produce better benefits in crops cultivation but the signs of these amazing Banaue Terraces are still current.

This complete region of Banaue Rice terraces is recognized as Cordilleras area and there are also Batad rice terraces which is residence to the spectacular tiered, amphitheatre-shaped terraces. Similarly in Mayoyao rice terraces a standard solution of rice known as Tinawon, in red and white selection, is harvested on big scale. Hapao rice terraces are positioned in Hungduan, exactly where Napulawan terraces can also to be identified. Likewise there are also Kiangan rice terraces which are popular for two other rice web sites recognized as Nagacadan and Julungan. The scenic beauty of all these historical terraces put substantial impression to the visitor.

It is also important to mention that apart from standard web site seeing several hiking points are also subsisting in this area that are so appealing for the vacationers. There are constantly young tourist guides offered to entertain the regional and foreign visitors. Due to lack of the interests of the authorities to sustain this compelling historic website, UNESCO was reluctant to enlist Banaue Rice terraces it in Planet Heritage. Nevertheless these Banaue Rice Terraces are a National Cultural Treasure beneath Ifugao Rice Terraces.

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The biggest pitcher plant of Philippines

1 of the exquisite tropical wonders of Philippines is its biggest pitcher plant Nepenthes attenboroughii which is popular for its big bell shaped upper and reduced pitchers. This amazing specie is recorded as generating extremely big pitchers in the world. This species was named in the honor of Sir David Attenborough who was a organic history broadcaster. This fantastic pitcher plant is located only in the mountain range of Palawan in Philippines.

Nepenthes attenboroughii , the largest pitcher plant of Philippines

Apparently, due to its close resemblance with Nepenthes Rajah, it seems a close relative of this pitcher plant of Borneo. Nepenthes attenboroughii was found just few years ago in 2007 by Alastair S. Robinson, Stewart R. McPherson and Volker B. Heinrich for the duration of a two month research expedition to catalogue the diverse species of pitcher plant found across the Philippine Archipelago.

This species was named in the honor of Sir David Attenborough.

Nepenthes attenboroughii, the biggest pitcher plant of Philippines is a terrestrial upright or scrambling shrub. The stem, which could be up to 3.5 cm thick, is circular in cross section and attains a height of up to 1.5 m. The leaves are coriaceous and sessile or sub-petiolate. The leaves of rosettes are up to 30 cm long and 10 cm wide, whereas these of the scrambling stem are up to 40 cm extended and 15 cm wide. The leaves are oblong to elliptic. As it is described earlier , the pitchers of the Nepenthes attenborroughii are quite huge which produce tube-like leaf structures into which insects and other small animals tumble and turn out to be trapped. Even the botanists are of the view that the pitchers are so big that they can catch rats as effectively as insects in their leafy trap.

 

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