The Indian peafowl or blue peacock (Pavo cristatus) belongs to the pheasant family Phasianidae. Blue peacock is the Indian National bird.
These birds are distributed in Indian subcontinent including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
These birds are native to South Asia and are large and brightly colored. They have been introduced into several countries, including United States, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius and Australia.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had categorized and evaluated these pheasant species and had listed them as 'Least Concern'.
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| Indian blue peacock - Pavo cristatus |
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| Rolf Dietrich Brecher | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 as on 7/26/18 |
The male birds are larger than the females measure 190 to 230 cm in length including the full grown train. The females are about 90 cm in length and do not have a tail train. The male blue peacock has a metallic blue crown and a fan like crest with greenish blue feathers.
The peacock has a elongated neck with iridescent blue feathers. The breast and part of the belly also have blue feathers. There is a white stripe around the eye and a crescent shaped white patch of bare skin under the eyes.
The upper-tail covert feathers of Indian peafowl have colourful eyespots. The blue peacock erects them into a fan-like shape during courtship. The female Indian peafowl have dull brown plumage.
They are found in the open moist and dry-deciduous forests foraging on the ground. They can fly and they roost in tall trees. The Indian blue peafowl feed on grains, cereals, seeds, berries, insects, reptiles and small rodents.
There are several color mutations of the Indian blue peacock. These birds are polygamous. The peak breeding season is April to May. They nest on the ground and the clutch consists of 4 to 8 eggs. The female Indian peafowl incubate the eggs and raise the young ones.
| Biological classification of Pavo cristatus | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Subfamily: | Phasianinae |
| Genus: | Pavo |
| Species: | P. cristatus |
| Binomial name: | Pavo cristatus |
| Distribution: | Indian subcontinent, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka; |
| Feeding habits: | seeds, insects, roots, leaves, small reptiles, shoots; |
| IUCN status listing: |  Least Concern |
Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paonroue.JPG
Author: Jebulon | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Current topic: Indian peafowl (Blue peacock) - Pavo cristatus.