Description: While the peahen (female) is primarily brown-and-beige with a green-tinged neck, the peacock (male) is vastly different with a head crest and massive feathered train that fans out to shimmer iridescent eyes. It reaches 1.5m (5’) and can be used to startle/confuse predators and mesmerise females. He has a metallic blue crown with blue/green head feathers and a matching head crest (which gives this species its alternative name ‘the crested peafowl’. The magnificent train begins growing around two-years-of-age and reaches full size by the time the bird is four.

Peafowl are revered and prominent in mythology (Hindu, Greek) and the national bird of India.

Diet: Omnivorous. Indian Peafowl primarily forage on the ground, feeding on a diet that includes berries, grains, insects and small rodents. In agricultural areas it will opportunistically feed on a wide range of crops including ground nut, tomato, chili and bananas.

In the Wild: This bird is highly adaptable, and this has seen it evolve successful populations outside of its native (Indian) range, appearing in healthy semi-domesticated numbers on most continents. It thrives especially well in cultivated regions. It prefers small groups with a single peacock and multiple peahens.

Threats: Large populations of this bird outside of it’s native range mean it’s not listed as a threatened species, however within its native range (India) it is vulnerable to hunting (especially the males), poaching and habitat loss.