CONGO PEACOCK   Afropavo congensis

Adult male

The Congo Peacock was discovered in 1936, in the Sankuru district in central Congo. It was a sensational discovery, both because of its probable Asiatic affinities, but also that such a striking bird had eluded discovery for such a long time. There have been several expeditions later, trying to locate the Congo Peacock, and most of them have failed.

Distribution of Congo Peacock

As the Congo Peacock remained undiscovered for such a long time, it is obvious that it is not easy to locate. The famous photographer Alan Root was trying for some time with no success, before he eventually discovered it near the Maiko National Park, south of Nia-Nia and Bafwasende.

A nice base-camp for future Peacock searches is the Epulu research station, based in the Okapi Wildlife Refuge, east of Nia-Nia, on the road from Kisangani to Bunia. This area is very rich in birds, and situated in the middle of the Ituri Forest.

A big thanks to "The Birds of Africa, vol. 1 - 5 (Keith, Urban & Fry)" and especially the superb artist Martin Woodcock, for the use of  their drawings on the above page.