Indian peafowl

Pavo cristatus · The Indian peafowl is a resident bird native to the Indian subcontinent, found across most of India and Sri Lanka.

Also called Common peafowl, Blue peafowl, Asiatic peafowl, Indian peacock.

Indian peafowl
Photo: Wilfredor, CC0
Indian peafowl
Photo: © Giles Laurent, gileslaurent.com, License CC BY-SA, CC BY-SA 4.0
Indian peafowl
Photo: Gabriel Castaldini, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderGalliformes
FamilyPhasianidae
GenusPavo
SpeciesPavo cristatus

Where it lives

Forests and farmland across the subcontinent, from Pakistan to Sri Lanka.

Fun facts

  • Male peafowl weigh 4.1–5.2 kg, making them among the heaviest birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae.
  • Besides berries and grains, peafowl also prey on snakes, lizards and small rodents.
  • Peahens sometimes carry their downy chicks on their backs in flight to reach a safe tree branch.
  • The dazzling colours of a peacock's train come not from pigment but from the microscopic structure of the feathers.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).