Indian peafowl

Physical features

• Male peafowl (peacocks) are known for their elaborate trains that can be 4.5 to over 5 feet in length. The train is not the tail of the bird, but rather the tail coverts which are feathers covering the base of the tail.

• When fanned out to display for a female (peahen), the train of the male can be 6 or 7 feet wide and is made up of around 200 feathers. When not displaying, the train is folded behind him.

• The round spots resembling eyes on the peacock’s train are called “ocelli.”

• The feathers on the train will easily detach if a predator tries to latch on, allowing the peacock to fly away.

• Peafowl are sexually dimorphic. Males’ bright, iridescent blue and green colors serve the purpose of attracting females, while the females’ green, grey, and brown color helps camouflage them from predators while they are incubating their eggs.

• White peafowl are the product of selective breeding. They are usually not albino, but leucistic, a trait that gives them a partial loss of pigmentation but that retains relatively dark skin and eyes in comparison to an albino bird, which would have red or pink eyes.

• Indian peafowl are the largest pheasant.

Diet: Omnivore

• Wild – insects, small animals, berries, seeds, grain

• Zoo – grain, fruit, greens, insects

Reproduction

• Both males and females have spurs. Males will use them when competing with other males during breeding season.

• Females show a preference for males with more elaborate trains. Peacocks with more ocelli, symmetrical patterns, and longer trains are more successful in breeding.

• Peacocks grown their first train at two years old, but it lacks the characteristic ocelli. The feathers of the train will fall out once per year and then grow back within a few months. Each year, the train becomes more elaborate and grows longer.

• The peafowl nest is a scrape in the ground that the peahen lines with sticks.

• Eggs are light green to tan in color and the peahen will lay 3-8 eggs that are incubated for around 28 days.

Interpretive Information

• Predators include jaguars, tigers, leopards, jackals, and dholes (a species of wild dog).

• Previously called the “common peafowl,” the species was renamed to include its native origins. It may also be called a blue peafowl.

• The peafowl spends its days foraging on the ground and also nests on the ground, but roosts in low tree branches overnight.

• Peafowl dustbathe to keep good feather condition and to remove parasites.

• A group of peafowl is called a muster or an ostentation.

• The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India.

• Throughout history, the Indian peafowl has had cultural significance. In Hindu cultures, they are considered sacred and are protected in some areas. They were presented to royalty in ancient cultures as gifts. In some places the birds were put on display and in others the birds and eggs were eaten.

Updated May 2018