The Indian peafowl is an impressive bird with pronounced sexual dimorphism: the male (peacock) has intense metallic blue plumage on its neck and chest, a fan-shaped crest, and an ornamental “train” composed of upper tail feathers occasionally reaching 200-230 cm in length, with eye-spots colored in green, blue, and copper, while the female (peahen) has pale brown plumage and a white stripe under the eye, without a train. Their bodies measure 100-120 cm from beak to tail base, with males weighing on average 4.1-5.2 kg and females 2.7-4.1 kg, adaptations that allow them both rapid terrestrial movement and limited flight for nesting or escaping predators.
Habits
Peafowl forage in small groups called “musters” in the morning, searching for fruits, seeds, and invertebrates, dust bathe at dusk, spend the day under vegetation, and shelter in trees or on rocks at night to avoid predators; they communicate through loud calls and slow movements, rarely flying, preferring to run in the undergrowth.
Reproduction
They mate during the warm season (April-October), with peacocks forming polygynous harems where each male attracts 3-5 females by displaying his train. The female lays 4-8 eggs (rarely up to 10) in small ground nests, which she incubates alone for about 28-30 days; the chicks hatch precocial, covered in down, able to follow their mother within hours after hatching, but remain under her protection for up to 9 months.
Distribution
Native to the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar), the Indian peafowl has been introduced by humans to many regions worldwide—including North America, Europe, and Oceania—where it can be found in parks, zoos, and equestrian farms, adapting to open habitats with trees and shrubs for shelter and feeding.
