Beginning of Mating Season for My Peafowl
It’s the start of a very special time of year for the peafowl at my Bedford, New York farm - it's the beginning of breeding season.
From late February until early August, the peacocks display their stunning and iridescent tail feathers, strut back and forth shaking their feathers and hindquarters to produce a rattling sound, and make loud calls to the females. The peahens tend to choose males with the longest, most colorful tails. It’s always very interesting to watch these mating rituals up close - the "tail show" can be quite amazing. Many of you comment on how much you enjoy the posts on the animals at my farm, so I thought it was a good time to share this update on my gorgeous birds.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Every afternoon, after the dogs are let out for some morning exercise, my peafowl are released from their pen to roam the farm. They love to congregate in my stable courtyard and watch all the activities. Here, one of my peacocks is fanning its gorgeous tail in competition for the females during breeding season. One can see the eyespots on this mature male’s tail feathers.
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- Peafowl are members of the pheasant family. There are two Asiatic species – the blue or Indian peafowl native to India and Sri Lanka, and the green peafowl originally from Java and Burma, and one African species, the Congo peafowl from African rain forests. All my peafowl are Indian.
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- All peacocks and peahens will look you in the eye, but if you stare at them or seem aggressive in body movements, they will feel threatened. I love how friendly all my peacocks and peahens are with people.
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- Researchers found that the longer the train feathers, the faster the males would shake them during true courtship displays, perhaps to demonstrate muscular strength.
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- This is one of my peahens. Peahens usually weigh about six to nine pounds when full grown. They are also more dull in color compared to the males.
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- Peacocks and peahens are very smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are also quite clever and very curious.
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- During the mating dance, the peacock turns in circles showing off his tail. This display is known as “train-rattling.” The stiff rear feathers underlie the front feathers and provide support when the whole tail is raised.
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- Here is another male un-phased by his friend’s mating dance. As beautiful as peafowls are, they don’t make very melodious sounds. Peafowls have 11 different calls, with most of the vocalizing made by the peacocks. And, with their sharp eyesight, peafowls are quick to see predators and call out alarms. Oftentimes, I can hear them all the way from my Winter House. And every time I call out to them, they respond.
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- This peacock is trying hard to attract the peahens – he has been “train-rattling” for at least 10-minutes. Peacocks have their full length tail feathers once they are at least three years of age. Peahens usually choose males that have bigger, healthier plumage with an abundance of eyespots.
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- Unfortunately, none of the peahens seemed interested at this time. They prefer to nap under the winter sun.
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- But this male is persistent – here he goes around again. After breeding season ends in August, the males lose their long tail feathers and then grow them all back before the next breeding season begins. The train gets longer and more elaborate until five or six years old when it reaches maximum splendor.
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- While these birds are ground feeders and ground nesters, they still enjoy roosting at higher levels. In the wild, this keeps them safe from predators at night. They look for perching spots all over the farm. These birds are resting on a burlap covered bird bath outside the stable offices.
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- Peafowl are beautiful – especially the males with their long tails, but do not underestimate their power. These birds are extremely strong with very sharp spurs. Full-grown, peacocks can weigh up to 13-pounds.
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- Both male and female peafowl have the fancy crest atop their heads called a corona.
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- Because most of these birds have grown up here, they are all very accustomed to the crew and always love visitors. Many of them come right up to sniff pockets for any treats.
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- For food, these birds get a healthy mix of cornmeal, soybean, and wheat. I also feed the birds spinach, cabbage, and squash. In the wild, peacocks are omnivores – they eat insects, plants, and small creatures. They do most of their foraging in the early morning and evening.
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- Peafowls very hardy birds, and even though they are native to warm climates, they do very well in cold weather as long as they have access to dry areas away from strong winds. These birds will spend most of their days outdoors, and nights in their coop where it is warm and cozy.
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- Meanwhile, Dawa works in the peafowl coop to freshen the nesting boxes for the peahens.
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- One is already eager to check out the space.
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- Soon two are interested to try it out.
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- A peahen will usually lay about three to eight brown eggs. It takes about 28 to 30 days for the eggs to incubate before hatching. I prefer to keep them in a mechanical unit until they hatch, so they are safe from all the other birds. Then they remain in a brooder until they are big enough to join the others. I wonder how many peachicks we’ll have this season. stay tuned…
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