The(Kuau Raja/Burung Ruai) Great Argus' feathers as a Dayak head- dress

The Great Argus

When i went to Kuching ,Sarawak to get the "BULU RUAI"(in Iban Term) (THE GREAT ARGUS' FEATHERS) for my personal collection.In fact,in  Sarawak (maybe Kalimantan still has a lot??)this kind of feather nowadays is very rare & i had paid RM 35 for 1(one) Bulu Ruai(one Long Feather of Great Argus) at Waterfront Kuching Handcraft Shop..now i have a few but not MANY since there is  very hard to find this 'ICONIC ACCESSORY" anymore..since ..

Setting my Great Argus (Kuau Raja/Bulu Ruai for Headgear(Iban).

The (GREAT ARGUS/KUAU RAJA/RUAI)long feathers( of the wings and tails are used by Dayak Bornean cultures for ornamental head dresses..& most sought after ...just like the HORNBILL.

My collection of GREAT ARGUS/KUAU RAJA/RUAI's FEATHERS as a ornamental head dress.
(photo credit:kauluanexpress.com)

About this Phoenix??

The Kuau Raja or Argusianus argus (also known as Great Argus , Phoenix in some Asian areas) is a brown-plumaged pheasant with a small blue head and neck, rufous red upper breast, black hair-like feathers on crown and nape, and red legs.

 The male is among the largest of all pheasants, with up to 200cm in length. It has very long tail feathers. The male's most spectacular features are its huge, broad and greatly elongated secondary wing feathers decorated with large ocelli. The female is smaller and duller than male, with shorter tails and less ocelli. 

Burung Ruai(Iban )

The Great Argus is thought to be polygamous in the wild, it is actually monogamous.Their habitat in tall, dry, lowland primary and logged forests, mainly below 900 m, but can be up to 1,300 m.HABITAT ( Forests, from sea-level to 4,000 feet). It is much sparser in deciduous forest and rare to absent from lowland peat swamp and white-sand heath forests.

The Great Argus is distributed in the jungles of Borneo, Sumatra and Malay Peninsula in southeast Asia. Due to on going habitat loss and hunted in some areas, the Great Argus is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Population estimate are 100,000 numbers with trend decreasing in range estimate of 1,900,000 km2.

UNGGAS UNGGAS(Malay Term)

Subspecies: There are living 2 subspecies:
1)the Malaysian Great Argus (A. a. argus) can be found in Malaysia and Sumatra and
 2) the Bornean Great Argus (A. a. grayi) found on Borneo. 
A. a. bipunctatusis known only from a portion of a primary feather of uncertain origin. Believed to be extinct and was found on Tioman Island off the Malay Peninsula.

KUAU RAJA(INDONESIA TERM)

Status in Wild: Listed as a CITES II(,the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) vulnerable species, the primary threat to survival is habitat destruction. Believed to be in good numbers on the Malay Peninsula and on Borneo, but the Sumatran population is in rapid decline.

Interesting Facts:
The (GREAT ARGUS/KUAU RAJA/RUAI)long feathers( of the wings and tails are used by Bornean cultures for ornamental head dresses.

THE ICONIC ACCESSORIES(The GREAT ARGUS ' Feathers: DAYAK KALIMANTAN

MURUT people: HEADGEAR
 FROM THE GREAT ARGUS' FEATHERS

K

Borneo Hornbill Festival KL 2011
 HEADGEAR
 FROM THE GREAT ARGUS' FEATHERS
(photo credit :clickr photography)

Borneo Hornbill Festival KL 2011 with ornamental head dresses from RUAI 's FEATHERS..(photo credit:kauluanexpress.com)

BORNEO HORNBILL FESTIVAL 2011: ANAK BORNEO(The dancer team) with MEMALOH COSTUME with
HEADGEARFROM THE GREAT ARGUS' FEATHERS(BULU RUAI)
(photo credit:(dayakwithgoldenhair)

The Iban Dancer Headgear (from RUAI 's FEATHERS)
During Borneo Hornbill Festival 2012 Promo@HELLO ON TWO(TV2) KL