Argusianus argus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The great argus or greater argus (Argusianus argus) is a large species of pheasant native to the jungles of Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula in southeast Asia. It is known for its impressive plumage and courtship behavior. It is not to be confused with the two species of closely related crested argus, genus Rheinardia.
Carl Linnaeus gave the great argus its specific name (from which its common name and genus name are derived) because of the intricate eye-like patterns on its wings, in reference to Argus, a hundred-eyed giant in Greek mythology. There are two subspecies recognized: Nominate argus of the Malay peninsula and Sumatra, and A. a. grayi of Borneo. William Beebe considered the two races to be distinct species, but they have since been lumped.
The genus Argusianus was introduced in 1849 by the English zoologist George Gray with the great argus as the type species. The double-banded argus (Argusianus bipunctatus), known only from a portion of a single primary flight feather, was long considered a potential second species. It was described in 1871 from this feather piece, found in a millinery shipment imported to London. Its origin... Wikipedia →
Recording0:54
Malaysia · 2026
© Raymond Khoo · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:09
Malaysia · 2019
© Leah Ramsay · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:14
Thailand · 2023
© Sam Hambly · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 8 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 4 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Copenhagen Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 6 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Taipei Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 10 | Safari West | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 13 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Audubon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 17 | Dierenpark Hoenderdaell | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 18 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | National Zoo of Malaysia | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 20 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Gatorland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Green World Ecological Farm | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 24 | National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 25 | Reid Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 27 | Johor Zoo | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 28 | The Seas with Nemo & Friends | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | Adventure Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Aquarium Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 31 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Zoo de Lourosa | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 33 | 蘭陽動植物王國 | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 34 | Blue Planet Aquarium | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 35 | Bird Kingdom | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 36 | Aquarium de Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 37 | Aquarium of Niagara | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Bird Alliance of Oregon | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 39 | Kung Fu Corals | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Mořský svět | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 41 | Moscow Oceanarium | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 42 | Ogród zoologiczny w Lubinie | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 43 | Vogelpark Bali | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 44 | Zoological Wildlife Foundation | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Great Argus sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, based on 748 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 258 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Great Argus in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, against about 20% in February, the lowest month.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Argus sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Great Argus sightings, Danum Valley Conservation Area has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 20%) and Gunung Leuser National Park (Indonesia, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Phasianidae
The closest relatives of the Great Argus that you can see in Danum Valley Conservation Area (family Phasianidae, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) are Chestnut-necklaced Hill Partridge (about 20%) and Bornean Crested Fireback (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Argus is recorded against all the birds logged in Danum Valley Conservation Area (748 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
