Blue Peafowl
Place to admire: Paradise of Birds
Scientific name: Pavo cristatus
IUCN-status: Least concern
General Information
In India, the Blue Peafowl is known as the national bird. Because of this, it enjoys protection throughout the country. In many areas it has religious significance, making it considered sacred. This is particularly prevalent in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Habitat
The Blue Peafowl is native to Pakistan (east of the Indus River), India (south of the Himalayas) to Sri Lanka.
This may sound odd, but Blue Peafowls in northern India prefer a different habitat than Blue Peafowls in southern part of India. The Blue Peafowls in northern India prefer an open forest with streamside vegetation. The Blue Peafowls in southern India prefer a diversity of habitats. These mainly include secondary vegetation, orchards, and areas near a village. In general, they prefer moist and dry deciduous forests with streams nearby.
Appearance
A male Blue Peafowl has a length between 180 and 230 centimeters (including the drag). It has a weight of 4 to 6 kilograms. You can recognize the male by its blue-green and gray plumage. He also has a large drag composed of extended tail feathers. On the head adorns a beautiful crown.
A female Blue Peafowl looks smaller than a male. She has a length of 90 to 100 centimeters. In terms of weight, she also weighs less than a male, between 2.75 and 4 kilograms. She has a brownish-gray plumage, and no drag. However, she does have a magnificent crown on her head!
Diet
The Blue Peafowl is known as an omnivore. This means that it eats both plant and animal nutrition. In the wild, this bird species eats grain, green crops, insects, small reptiles, mammals, and even small snakes. Most preferably, it eats berries, stone fruits, and figs.
Social behavior
The males in the Blue Peafowl have beautiful showy feathers with brilliant markings in the shape of eyes. These showy feathers also look like a tail. This tail consists of about 150 colorful feathers and can reach 2.5 meters in length. To impress the peafowl females or other birds, the male Blue Peafowl raises his feathers.
Natural behavior
The Blue Peafowl hunts in small groups on cultivated fields and fallow land. During the breeding season, the Blue Peafowl forages in harems. Outside the breeding season, this bird species hunts in segregated groups of females with young, and males.
