Peafowl: An Exotic Elegance in Wildlife

Indian peafowl or blue peafowl are a species in a group of birds called Pheasants. The males are called peacocks, while the females are called peahens. Together, they are peafowl.Scientifically they are known as Pavo cristatus .They belong to Phasianidae family and their life span is about 20 years.

The male, or peacock, is predominantly blue with a fan-like crest of spatula-tipped wire-like feathers and is best known for the long train made up of elongated upper-tail covert feathers which bear colorful eye-spots. These stiff feathers are raised into a fan and quivered in a display during courtship. Despite the length and size of these covert feathers, peacocks are still capable of fight.

Peahens lack the train, and have a greenish lower neck and duller brown plumage. The Indian peafowl lives mainly on the ground in open forest or on land under cultivation where they forage for berries, grains but also prey on snakes, lizards, and small rodents. Their loud calls make them easy to detect, and in forest areas often indicate the presence of a predator such as a tiger. They forage on the ground in small groups and usually try to escape on foot through undergrowth and avoid flying, though they fly into tall trees to roost.

Peafowl are among the largest of all birds that fly. The beautiful feathers that cover the tails of a peacock are 5 feet (1.5 meters) long—longer than the bird's body—and can be displayed in a spectacular fan of brilliant colors. These long feathers actually grow from the bird's back not the tail. He elevates them by raising the much shorter tail feathers underneath them.
There are several color mutations of Indian peafowl. These very rarely occur in the wild, but selective breeding has made them common in captivity. Peafowl forage on the ground in small groups, known as musters, that usually have a cock and 3 to 5 hens.

After the breeding season, the flocks tend to be made up only of females and young. They are found in the open early in the mornings and tend to stay in cover during the heat of the day. They are fond of dust-bathing and at dusk, groups walk in single file to a favourite waterhole to drink. When disturbed, they usually escape by running and rarely take to flight.
Peafowl the name itself defines the beauty the combination of incredible colors in it.It is supposed to be a very intelligent bird as it finds out any natural calamities easily.The only bird which dances in bird category is peafowl.So there is no doubt about Peafowl to be the incredibly exotic elegance in wildlife.

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