A new Pleistocene peafowl from Taiwan reveals the extinction of a large galliform bird in East Asia

Abstract Pleistocene land birds remain rare in East Asia, which hinders the understanding of avian extinctions and the emergence of modern avian diversity in this part of the world. Abundant extinct mammals and reptiles have been documented from the Pleistocene of Taiwan, revealing significant Pleistocene extinctions. However, no fossil evidence shows such events for birds. In this study, we describe a newly discovered humerus from the Middle Pleistocene of the Chiting Formation (Tainan). Its mo