Peafowl groups...........

•  Indian Peafowl [most common]

•  Green Peafowl

•  White Peafowl


Binomial   name   is    Pavo   Cristatus .   Peacocks    are
omnivores. They eat termites, ticks, plant parts, locusts,
ants,  mice,  scorpions,  flower petals,  seed heads, and
other  reptiles,  arthropods  and  amphibians.  Peacocks
are  quite  sociable  birds.   Peacocks  can  fly  for  short
distances.   A wingspan of  peacock can be of six feet. A
young  peacock  is called a  peachick. Peacocks’ lifespan
is up to 20 years.

The males use their sparkling tail display, containing large, small feathers, in their manly maneuver for the best mate.
The train of feathers is supported by smaller,  shorter tail feathers.  These colorful tail feathers do not develop till the
peacock is  three years old,  and  the  trains  are  shed  yearly,  usually  during the summer months. Males make loud
weeping cries, when detects any risk approaching.

When a peacock feels like to have a mate, he will show his train and march  by  the nearest female [peahen], puffing
out his chest and shaking his tail feathers. During mating period, the peafowl are also very vocal,  making  “minh-ao”
cries that can sound like a kitten. Mating season coincides with the monsoon season.

Peahens usually start mating once she is three years old. She will lay an normal of 2-6 eggs at a time, hiding them in
the jungle while laying lure eggs out in the open.  The  eggs  are  light  brown  in  color  and  are laid every other day
generally in the afternoon.  The  male does not help with the nurture,  and  is polygamous  ( form of multiple mating )
with up to six hens.  They nest  on the ground.  The eggs take 28 days to hatch. The pea chicks are small with yellow
and brown marks.

Peafowl love to settle in trees during the night.  A mother peahen will try to get her babies to fly up into the trees as
soon as she can after their birth,and she will protect them with her wings so that they can sleep. She will bring small
insects and berries &  teach  them  to eat.  Female peacocks are excellent mothers. Chicks stay with their families for
about 9 months.

Importance of Peacocks in Indian religions/ cultures:

As per Hindu tradition,  the  peacock  is  to  be  the  vahan  of  God Karthikeya (Murugan), he is elder brother of God
Ganesha, and also the goddess Saraswati.

In Sanskrit Indian Peacocks are called as Mayura, has enjoyed a mythical place in India ever since antique era. Lord
Krishna  always  used  to  wear  a  peacock  feather  tucked  in  his crown. Peacocks frequently exist in closeness to
humans. Due to this closeness to humans from long time,  they have entered in prehistoric Indian fairy-tales, songs
and poems as icons of beauty.  Many  rain  songs  have  peacock-dance  referred  to in them, as the mating season
overlaps with the beginning of monsoon rains in the month of Shravan (Hindu calendar). Mauryas are considered to
be peacock-keepers of a royal courtyard in eastern India, so called Maurya Empire of ancient India.

Female is called as Peahen and Male is called as Peacock.  Peafowl  are  most  famous  for the male’s overgenerous
present  feathers  which,  in  spite  of  actually  budding  from their back, are tail. The tail itself is brown in color and
short  as  compared  to  the  peahen.  These colors resulted from the micro-structure of the feathers, which creates
optical  phenomena.  The  complex  tail  is  supposed  to  be the effect of female sexual selection as males lifted the
feathers into a fan and shake  it  as  part  of courtship display.  The quality of tail is an honest signal of the state of
males and that peahens select males on the base of their plumage