The Peafowl:
Peacocks and Peahens

The Peacock

The Indian Blue Peacock is easily recognizable with his extravagant plumage (the layer of approximately 200 feathers covering his body), especially on his tail, often referred to as “the train.” When the train of the Indian Blue is fanned, you can see his extra “eyes.”

Mythology explains that the peacock was given eyes by the Greek goddess Hera to thank her watchman Argus, who had a hundred eyes. The iridescent feathers of the peacock have “fiber-like” components in them, which causes us to see brilliant colours. The peahen chooses her mate based on his train. The larger, and the more colour, the better. All peacocks have an interesting head crest, as well.

One of the largest flying birds, the Indian Blue Peacock eats on the ground, but his home is in a tree. He is an omnivore, eating plants, seeds, insects, as well as reptiles (in India, even cobras) and amphibians. In medieval times, people believed the peacock was immortal. In reality, its lifespan is 20 years, in the wild. Few people keep peacocks as pets due to the fact that they do not act agreeably towards dogs, cats, and other animals. They also cry out when other humans “invade” their territory.

The peacock is the bird of India, appreciated for his beauty. His feathers also represent the television company NBC.

The Peahen

The peahen is similar to the peacock, except for the fact that she has no outstanding hues of colour in her plumage. The peahen’s plumage is, sadly, dull green, brown, and grey. The peahen’s train is quite small compared to the peacock’s, but she does have a head crest of the same size. Peahens start to lay their eggs in April, every other day, until they hatch. There are 3 to 5 light brown eggs.

The peahen is easily impressed by the peacock, but who can blame her?

- Rachel, 13, Ontario, Canada