Peacock Trivia | 30 facts about the colourful animal

Peacock is an impressive animal, because of its colourful wings. Also, because of this characteristic it is considered one of the most beautiful animals.

Let’s find out more about it!

1. Peacock is also called peafowl.
2. Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera Pavo and Afropavo.
3. It belongs in the family of Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies.
4. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, even though peafowl of either sex are often referred to colloquially as “peacocks”
5. The two Asiatic species are the blue or Indian peafowl originally of the Indian subcontinent.
6. There is also the green peafowl of Southeast Asia.
   There is also the one African species is the Congo peafowl.
7. This is native only to the Congo Basin.
8. Male peafowl are known for their piercing calls and their extravagant plumage.
9. The latter is especially prominent in the Asiatic species, which have an eye-spotted “tail” or “train” of covert feathers, which they display as part of a courtship ritual.
10. The functions of the elaborate iridescent colouration and large “train” of peacocks have been the subject of extensive scientific debate.
11. Charles Darwin suggested that they served to attract females, and the showy features of the males had evolved by sexual selection.
12. More recently, Amotz Zahavi proposed in his handicap theory that these features acted as honest signals of the males’ fitness, since less-fit males would be disadvantaged by the difficulty of surviving with such large and conspicuous structures.
13. Like other bird species, it’s the male of the peafowl species that has such eye-catching color and lovely decorative tail feathers.
14. A group of peafowl is called a bevy, an ostentation, or a muster.
15. When they hatch and for months afterward, male and female peachicks look identical.
16. The males don’t start to develop color until they are about three months old, and it’s not until full maturity at three years old that their famous display tails are in full feather.
17. In 1963, the blue or Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus) was designated India’s national bird.
18. Its range covers nearly the entire Indian subcontinent, where it is a species of Least Concern (common and healthy populations throughout its range), according to the IUCN.
19. It has a rich tradition of depiction in Indian art and Hindu religious culture, including being associated with gods and goddesses as well as royalty.
20. Peacocks naturally shed their feathers every year after mating season, when they can be gathered by those who want to keep a collection of the brightly patterned plumage.
21. So, their feathers can be gathered and sold without the birds coming to any harm.
22. The average lifespan of a peacock in the wild is about 20 years.
23. A peacock’s tail feathers can reach up to six feet long and make up about 60 percent of its body length.
24. Despite these odd proportions, the bird flies just fine, if not very far.
25. It’s common for captive peafowl to buck the iridescent trend for all white feathers. This is called leucism, and it’s due to a genetic mutation that causes loss of pigmentation.
26. These peafowl are often mistaken for being albino, but instead of having red eyes, animals with leucism retain their normal eye color.
27. The birds were plucked, roasted and then re-dressed in their feathers to appear in their original live state on the dinner table.
28. The birds may have looked beautiful, but they reportedly tasted terrible.
29. Microscopic “crystal-like structures” that reflect different wavelengths of light depending on how they’re spaced, resulting in bright fluorescent colors. Hummingbirds and shimmering butterflies have mastered a similar visual effect on their own wings.
30. A female peacock has special sensors in her crest that allow her to feel the vibrations of mate who may be located far away.