Peacock

Facts, Information, Scientific Name of Peacock

Peacocks are the male versions of the Peafowl birds. This name has been provided to two different species of these birds which are the prime members of the family of Pheasants. There are different types of birds belonging to this family and the peacock bird is just one of them. These birds are mostly known for their feathers and the bright color of their skin. Peacocks are known to be very proud creatures. In these notes, we are going to learn some interesting facts about Peacocks such as the scientific name of peacock, the different habitats, their diet, their description, and much more.

According to researchers, there are 2 different types of Peacocks. There is the Indian Peacock which is a native bird belonging to the Indian subcontinent and there is the Green Peacock that is residing in the locations of East Burma to Java. The females in this group are known as Peahens.

While the scientific name of peacock that is the Indian peacock is Pavo Cristatus and the scientific name of the peacock that is the Green peacock is Pavo Muticus. The peacocks are pretty much known all over the world for their exquisite looks and most commonly for their beautiful feathers in the tails that they tend to display over their periods of courting. Learn more about Peacock from here.

Description of a Peacock Bird

One of the most interesting things to know about the peacock bird is that they tend to have a very beautiful looking tail that is decorated with more than 200 different feathers that tend to shimmer when they are fluttered open. These feathers are individually decorated in a beautiful manner with some eyespots. The colors of the male peacock are iridescent and are decked in greens and blues over the head, breast, and neck. This provides a very unique look to the peacock and hence the bird gets its very attractive quality. The tail of the peacock is known as the “Tail”. This tail is not really composed of the tail feathers that are made into quills but they are mostly of the elongated tail feathers that are from the upper part of their bodies. There is no doubt that this bird is absolutely stunning to look at and hence is a popular attraction. The train of the bird is pretty much bronze in color with slight patches of green. There are eyes in individual feathers that tend to become even more prominent and obvious when they fan their tails during the courting or the dancing time. For students who need to know Peacock facts, there is no doubt that these notes would definitely be able to help them out in the best way.

The tail feathers of the peacock bird tend to be short and pretty much grey in color. People might just be able to see the feathers from a certain distance when they fan their tails in the best way. The males have a tendency to fan their tails and display them to the females which is a part of their entire courting ritual. It is during the entire molting season when the males tend to shed their beautiful feathers from the train and then the quill feathers that are grey become really obvious to the eye. More peacock information can divulge how the molting season works for the peacocks and how they shed their feathers to grow new ones.

There is a certain type of difference between the peacock and the female ones. The difference can be seen in the colors of the feathers sported by the females of this species. Unlike the males, peahens or the female peafowl don’t really have all these bright colors on their feathers. Their appearance is much duller compared to the males. This is a trait that is seen to be very common in most birds. The color of the skin in peahens is mostly brown and the underparts are pretty light as well. Not to mention that there is an absence of the upper tail coverts that the males so proudly possess. Another important thing to notice about the types of peacocks is that white males might have all the colors on their necks, the females only sometimes have the particular green color in that area.

The Peacock bird and peahens both have certain crests that are situated on the top part of their heads. This is a feature that is seen mostly in the Green peacocks as well. However, the appearance of the Green peafowl is pretty much different from the Indian ones. In the green peacocks, there is a presence of gold and green plumage. Not to mention that the green peacocks tend to have wings that are black in color and almost have a tinge of blue in them. While the Indian peahens might not be that much similar to their male counterparts, the Green peahens are. The only difference between Green peacocks and peahens is that the upper tail feather coverts present in the green peacocks are pretty much smaller than the ones that Green peahens sport all the time. Being so much similar in looks, it often becomes a bit difficult when it comes to identifying the male and female Green peacocks. But this kind of problem doesn’t appear when people have to identify the Indian peacocks and peahens since they are definitely dissimilar to look at.

The peacocks are larger birds where their height often measures up to about 7.5 feet when it comes to length and the females go up to about 86 centimeters or 34 inches in total length. There is a subtle difference in the tail length of the peacocks and peahens as well. The male peafowl can have a tail length of about 5 feet and the weight of the tail would be around 9-13 pounds in total. Just like some of the other members of the Galliformes, these birds tend to have powerful and sharp metatarsal spurs that are also known commonly as ‘kicking thrones’. When it comes to these spurs, there is the main function and that is for defending themselves from certain dangers and several predators as well. They tend to have very strong legs that are decked with 3 toes that face forward and 1 toe that faces backward. Peacocks are not capable of flying at higher altitudes because of the fact that their wing surface doesn’t really match with the bodyweight ratio and hence the balance is disrupted. Students can get more peacock information from our notes in the best way without any hassle or trouble.

Habitat of the Peacock Bird

There is more information about the peacock habitat in our notes. Peacocks like living in the world and they mostly have their habitats in forested locations. Apart from that, these birds also have their prime locations on agricultural lands and farms as well. These birds also make sure that are situated in the lowland forests which are both tropical. Another one of the places that they have their location is the deciduous forests and the dry habitats too. Even though the peacocks tend to be in their natural ranges, they tend to roam around in different cities and parks. They do so in the search of several food materials. For more information on peacock habitat, there is no doubt that having some help from our notes will be very useful for sure.

Learning More About Diet of Peacocks

One of the common traits about the peacocks is that they tend to wander through the lands in the search for food materials. Peacocks are mostly omnivorous in nature and their diet mostly consists of seeds, small insects, mammals, fruits, smaller reptiles, berries, flowers, and much more. Peacocks mostly tend to travel or forage in larger groups and they mostly tend to stick to the ground because they are incapable of longer flights. When peacocks are not feeding all the time, they tend to perch themselves on top of trees. This practice is a matter of protection from predators. Get some more information about diet and peacock eggs from our notes.

Peacock Reproduction Details to know About

These birds extend their line by laying peacock eggs. This is a bird that represents the term ‘sexual selection’ that tends to influence evolution. The peahens always tend to mate with those peacocks that are most impressive and display the most eyespots to the females. It is also mentioned in the studies that the peacocks that have the most eyespots would have the healthiest and the biggest younger generations. There are much more facts about peacock reproduction that you can know from here. The peacocks have a tendency to molt their feathers of the tail in during the time of August and then they eventually grow them back again.

The process of courtship that further leads to the production of peacock eggs is a fascinating process. The male tends to spread the train of feathers that it has and flutters it to gather the attraction of the females. The males tend to back down towards the females that are receptive and then swing around in order to confront them with the magnificence of their display. After the performance of the display, the males crow out in a large voice in order to impress the females. If one is pleased, then she will turn to join the harem of peahens that the male already has. The peacock is more commonly polygamous in nature.

The females of the groups are most likely very much equipped with their maternal roles and hence have their duties assigned in the best. The males don’t really have a very big part to play in the rearing of their young. The peahen tends to reach their age of breeding when they are about 2 years old. However, the age of breeding for the peacocks is mostly a bit different as they take more time to reach that age. For a peacock, the average age at which it reaches the breeding point would be about 3 years. At a single time, the peahen is able to lay about 6 to 12 different peacock eggs in total. The colors of the eggs are brownish and are mostly buff-colored as well. The eggs take about 5 months in total to hatch. The eggs are mostly laid on a particular nest that the peahens tend to scratch out right in the ground in the best way. Then the peahens line the nest with the ground for the comfort of the eggs. After that process is completed, the peahens would sit on their eggs and will help in the process of incubation of the eggs. This process then goes on for about 28 days.  

After the eggs hatch, the peachicks are born and they weigh about 3.6 ounces at most. There are full feathers on the skin of the peachicks just after a few weeks. Since they need to learn how to fly in order to stay with their birth mothers, the function of feathers is justified.