Blue Peafowl

     The Blue Peafowl or the Indian Peafowl is a large and brightly colored Peafowl native to South Asia. It was also introduced to many other parts of the world, and its spectacular appearance is globally well-known indeed.

     The Blue Peacock’s head, neck and breast are a glossy, iridescent blue, with white patches above and below the eyes. And he has an upright crest on the crown of the head, which is tipped with blue feathers. By contrast, the back and wings are greyish-brown with brown barring. Undoubtedly the most striking feature of the Blue peacock is the long ‘train’ of feathers at the rear. The train can encompass nearly two-thirds of the total body length, and shows green feathers decorated vividly colored Ocelli (eye spots). The Indian peahen is far more understated, with a whitish face and throat, brown crown, nape and back, a white belly and a metallic green upper breast. The train is present, but much shorter and lacks the distinctive eye spots of the peacock. This helps the Blue peahen blends in with the bushes so that predators cannot see her while she is incubating her eggs. The Blue Peacock acquires a total length of almost 2.2 m, while the female’s length is about 1 m.

     There are several color mutations of the Indian Peafowl. These mutations very rarely occur in the wild, but selective breeding has made them common in captivity. The Black-Shouldered mutation is an example; however it’s only a case of genetic variation within the population. Another example is the White Peafowl which is the most famous mutation for the Blue Peafowl.

     The Indian Peafowl breeds from January to March in southern India, and as late as September in other parts of its range. During this time, peacocks occupy small, adjacent territories known as leks, where they display to prospective mates. The females (peahens) visit a number of these leks, before selecting the most suitable mate. The Blue peahen lays 4 – 8 eggs in a shallow scrape in the ground, or in a tree if predation is intense. She incubates them for 28 – 30 days, and the chicks are reared for around seven to nine weeks. Initially, the female gives them food from her bill , but later they learn to forage for grubs and insects.

     The Indian Peafowl is the national bird of India, and it is considered sacred in the Hindu communities there. As humans don’t harass it, it has acclimated to living right in populated areas and is quite tame.