"Common peacock" redirects here. For the butterfly with this common name, see Papilio polyctor.
Indian peafowl
Peacock displaying in East Park, Kingston upon Hull
Peahen at Tierpark Hagenbeck, Germany
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Galliformes
Family:
Phasianidae
Genus:
Pavo
Species:
P. cristatus
Binomial name
Pavo cristatus
Linnaeus, 1758
Map showing native range
The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus), also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been introduced to many other countries. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, although both sexes are often referred to colloquially as a "peacock".[2]
Indian peafowl display a marked form of sexual dimorphism. The peacock is brightly coloured, with a predominantly blue 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 colourful eyespots. 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 flight. Peahens lack the train, have a white face and iridescent green lower neck, and dull 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.
The function of the peacock's elaborate train has been debated for over a century. In the 19th century, Charles Darwin found it a puzzle, hard to explain through ordinary natural selection. His later explanation, sexual selection, is widely but not universally accepted. In the 20th century, Amotz Zahavi argued that the train was a handicap, and that males were honestly signalling their fitness in proportion to the splendour of their trains. Despite extensive study, opinions remain divided on the mechanisms involved.
The bird is celebrated in Hindu and Greek mythology, and is the national bird of India. The Indian peafowl is listed as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
^BirdLife International (2016). "Pavo cristatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22679435A92814454. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679435A92814454.en. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
^"Peacock (bird)". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
The Indianpeafowl (Pavo cristatus), also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has...
Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens. The two Asiatic species are the blue or Indianpeafowl originally...
to the more common and hardy Indian blue peafowl). Unlike the sister species Indianpeafowl, the sexes of the green peafowl are monomorphic, especially...
The Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis), also known as the African peafowl or mbulu by the Bakôngo, is a species of peafowl native to the Congo Basin. It...
great Indian bustard was a proposed candidate (strongly supported by the Indian ornithologist Salim Ali), but dropped in favour of the Indianpeafowl with...
entered an Indianpeafowl pen from a broken portion of a fence and managed to kill about 28 peafowl. This resulted in criticism as Indianpeafowl is considered...
of Indian states and territories for a complete list of all state characters and seals. Indianpeafowl, the national bird of India List of Indian state...
is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near an Indianpeafowl, called Paravani and sometimes with an emblem of a rooster upon his...
5 oz) in the case of the king quail to 6 kg (13 lb) in the case of the Indianpeafowl. If turkeys are included, rather than classified as a separate family...
Emu Indianpeafowl Java sparrow Painted stork Rose-ringed parakeet Sarus crane White stork Gharial Green iguana Indian cobra Indian python Indian star...
spotted eagles (Aquila clanga), and laggar falcons (Falco jugger). The Indianpeafowl is a resident breeder in the Thar region. The peacock is designated...
Sightings of the Indian elephant and the Indianpeafowl are pretty common. The king cobra and the mugger crocodile (Indian crocodile) are the prime reptilians...
visiting birds include the Indianpeafowl, grey heron, Eurasian golden oriole, purple sunbird, Asian koel, Brahminy starling, Indian silverbill, grey-breasted...
life can be encountered, including: sambar deer, Indian bison, Malabar giant squirrel, Indianpeafowl and many species of snakes. Bondla provides sanctuary...
(16 ha), built in 2008. The reserve is home to species of hog deer, Indianpeafowl, golden jackal, mouflon, nilgai and wild boar. The Changa Manga wildlife...
gaur, Indian elephant, deer and Bengal tiger are found there. There are also quite a few unusual birds in the sanctuary. In particular, Indianpeafowl tend...
independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal...
official national symbols that represent the Republic of India. List of Indian state symbols "India at a glance". Government of India. Retrieved 1 December...
a similar meaning. Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman) is a leucistic Indianpeafowl and the main antagonist of Kung Fu Panda 2. He was originally a prince...
It contains two of the most charismatic members of the Phasianidae, the peafowl and the arguses. This grouping was supported by a 2021 phylogenetic analysis...
(Report). doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.13.1. Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile (1989). "A peafowl from the Pliocene of Perpignan, France" (PDF). Palaeontology. 32 (2): 439...
Indian eagle-owl, rock bush-quail, Indianpeafowl, brown-capped pygmy woodpecker, black-headed oriole, crested treeswift and Indian pitta. The Indian...
Guineafowl have successfully produced hybrids with domestic fowl and Indianpeafowl, to which they are not particularly closely related as Galliformes go...
Aves Common pheasant Indianpeafowl Rock pigeon Mammals Asian black bear Bactrian camel Chital Chinkara Sambar Reptiles Indian cobra Mugger crocodile...
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