The Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), also called the Blue Peafowl or Common Peafowl, is native to India and Sri Lanka. It is the national bird of India. Because of its legendary beauty, it was domesticated more than 2000 years ago, and has since been exported to many other countries. The familiar bird with the beautiful display feathers is actually the male, or peacock—the female bird is called a peahen, and young are called peachicks.
Peafowl are classified with the pheasants in the taxonomic family Phasianidae, and are thus related to partridges, quail, chickens, and turkeys. There is one other peafowl species in the genus Pavo: Pavo muticus, the Green Peafowl.
Blue Peafowl Natural History and Habitat Facts
Peacocks and peahens can live for at least 15 years in captivity, but they probably do not live as long in the wild:
- The natural habitat of peafowl is dry open forest. The birds remain on the ground most of the time and do not fly long distances.
- In the wild, peafowl nest and feed on the ground, but roost high in the trees, ascending early in the evening.
- The eerie call of the peafowl is often heard when rain is approaching.
- The white peacock, seen more often in captivity, is a genetic mutation, rather than an albino bird.
- Peafowl tend not to get on well with other domestic animals.
- Although their natural ranges do not overlap, the Blue Peafowl and the Green Peafowl, native to Southeast Asia, can interbreed. The resulting hybrid bird is called a Spalding.
Blue Peafowl Feeding Facts
Domestic peafowl are valued in India because they eat young cobras, thus keeping the numbers of these venomous snakes down in human communities. The birds are relatively easy to feed:
- Peafowl eat insects, seeds, plant seedlings, fruit, and small reptiles.
- Because of their taste for seeds and insects, peacocks and peahens are drawn to gardens and compost piles, where they can become a nuisance.
Courtship and Breeding Facts
Peafowl will breed at about two years of age; however, the peacocks’ magnificent display feathers continue to grow until the birds are six years old. Peahens tend to prefer the peacock with the most spots on his feathers, so older males have more breeding success:
- The display feathers of the peacock are replaced each year during the breeding season, and are lost in late summer. They are not tail feathers but tail coverts (feathers that cover the base of the tail feathers), called a train. The tail feathers are hidden underneath the train and help to support it.
- Peacocks have specially selected locations where they display their trains to entice peahens. When one or more peahens approach, the display feathers become erect and form a beautiful fan. The male then does a characteristic courtship dance.
- Successful peacocks form a harem with up to five peahens.
- A typical nest contains three to five dull brown eggs, which hatch in about one month.
- Peachicks are cared for by peahens.
The blue Indian Peafowl is a hardy bird that can adapt to cooler climates and varied habitat. In a number of locations where they were introduced as ornamental domestic birds, they have escaped and now also live in the wild.
Other common and interesting birds:
Sources:
Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Perrins, Christopher ed. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2003
“Peafowl.” Honolulu Zoo
“Peafowl in Arcadia.” The City of Arcadia
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