Pavo bravardi is an extinct species of peafowl belonging into the genus Pavo that once lived in Europe. Fossils of this species have been recovered from Pliocene to early Pleistocene deposits of France, Moldova, Bulgaria[1] and Greece.[2] It was originally described as a species of Gallus, but was transferred to Pavo by Cécile Mourer-Chauviré in 1989.[3] It was larger than both the Indian peafowl and green peafowl in size.[2]
| Pavo bravardi Temporal range: Pliocene to early Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Speculative life restoration | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Pavo |
| Species: | †P. bravardi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Pavo bravardi Gervais, 1849 | |
In the Pliocene on the Balkan Peninsula, Bravard's peafowl coexisted with ptarmigans (Lagopus sp.)[4] Peafowl were widespread on the Balkan Peninsula and in Southeastern Europe until the end of the Pliocene.[5]
References
edit- ↑ Boev, Z. 2001 Early Pliocene avifauna of Muselievo (C Northern Bulgaria) - Acta zoologica cracoviensia, 44 (1): 37-52.
- 1 2 Zlatozar, Boev; Koufos,George D. (2000). "Presence of Pavo bravardi (Gervais, 1849) (Aves, Phasianidae) in the Ruscinian locality of Megalo Emvolon, Macedonia, Greece". Geologica Balcanica. 30: 69–74.
- ↑ Chauviré , Cécile Mourer (1989). "A peafowl from the Pliocene of Perpignan, France". Palaeontology. 32: 439–446.
- ↑ Boev, Zlatorar (1998). "Peafowls (g. Pavo Linnaeus, 1758) and Ptarmigans (g. Lagopus Brisson, 1760): an [sic] unique coexistance in North Bulgaria over 3 m. y. ago". - Biogeographia, Nuova Serie, Siena, 19 – 1997: 219-222. doi:10.21426/B6110058
- ↑ Boev, Z. (2002). "Fossil record and disappearance of peafowl (Pavo Linnaeus) from the Balkan Peninsula and Europe (Aves: Phasianidae)". Historia naturalis bulgarica. 14: 109–115.