A Special Time of Year for My Peafowl
And just like that, my peacocks have grown back their lustrous covert tail feathers signaling the start of a very special time of year - breeding season.
From February until early August, the peacocks display their stunning and iridescent tail feathers, strut back and forth shaking their hindquarters to produce a rattling sound, and make loud calls to the females. Once the season is over, the males shed their plumes in a process called molting and regrow them longer and fuller the following year. My peafowl thrive in a large enclosure just outside my stable. I visit these beautiful birds every day. I love calling out to them and waiting for their energetic responses. They are all doing exceptionally well and remain active, curious, and very vocal.
Here are some of the latest photos of my peafowl, enjoy.
-
- I share my farm with an ostentation of beautiful peafowl – peacocks as well as peahens. 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.
-
- My peafowl live in a large pen outside my stable, completely enclosed to keep them safe from predators. Here is a beautiful and very curious “blue boy” coming to say hello.
-
- This is the outside of the coop. Peafowls are 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.
-
- This is a female, or peahen, inside the coop. All my birds are friendly and come up quite close to visitors.
-
- In autumn, when it is not mating season, the males’ plumes are shorter. This photo of one of my adult males was taken last November.
-
- This photo was taken yesterday of a mature male with his gorgeous tail feathers hanging behind him. The train gets longer and more elaborate every year until five or six when it reaches maximum splendor.
-
- Each of the multicolored eyespots, ocelli, on the peacock’s train is a complex structure with dark centers surrounded by concentric bronze-gold and blue-green regions. These eyespots are the most important attractions to the females during the breeding season.
-
- 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. This is white peahen. White birds have a genetic variant called leucism, which involves a partial loss of pigmentation and white or cream-colored plumage. This is different from albino peafowl, which have albinism, causing a complete absence of melanin and resulting in pure white feathers, pink or red eyes, and pale skin.
-
- I have a white peahen and a white peacock. As beautiful as all peahens and peacocks are, they don’t make very melodious sounds. Peafowls have 11 different calls, with most of the vocalizing made by the peacocks.
-
- Both male and female peafowls have the fancy crest atop their heads called a corona. Male peacock feather crests are blue or green in color, while female crests are a more neutral shade of brown or cream.
-
- And here it is – a male just as he opened his tail. A mature peacock can have up to 200 feathers in his tail, which can weigh about a half pound during mating season. Peahens usually choose males that have bigger, healthier plumage with an abundance of eyespots.
-
- Here is the same male strutting around in a circle. Researchers found that the longer the train feathers, the faster the males would shake them during true courtship displays, perhaps to demonstrate muscular strength.
-
- These peacocks are “twinning” it. Peacocks are polygamous by nature, often having several partners during the season, and after courtship, and mating.
-
- And here is the white male. No matter the variety, these male creatures boast impressively sized and patterned plumage as part of the courtship ritual – it’s so interesting to watch.
-
- Females can also fan their short tails and do so when they feel threatened or want to appear bigger. This peahen was in no danger, but perhaps she didn’t like her photo taken too closely.
-
- Notice, the females are less iridescent with more muted colors and markings, and no long tails. While these birds love to forage for insects, I also provide a healthy mix of cornmeal, soybean, and wheat. And, I feed all my birds lots of fresh greens. In the wild, peacocks are omnivores – they eat insects, plants, and small creatures.
-
- This hen is watching the activity from her perch. 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. My outdoor birds all have access to natural perches made from old felled trees here at the farm.
-
- Peacocks can fly, but only two-percent of the time, and only for short distances. Peafowl learn to fly by about six-months of age.
-
- This is one of their favorite roosts. From this vantage point, the peafowl can see all the activity happening around the stable. Peafowls are stunning to look at, but do not underestimate their power. These birds are extremely strong with very sharp spurs – just look at the legs and feet of these peacocks. Full-grown, peacocks can weigh up to 13-pounds. Females can weigh up to just under nine.
-
- Peacocks and peahens are very smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are also quite clever and very curious. Whenever I visit, I call out to them – and they respond.
-
- And remember, only the males are peacocks. The females are peahens, and both are called peafowl. Babies are peachicks. A family of peafowl is called a bevy. And a group is called an “ostentation” or a “muster.” Follow along through the season – I wonder if we will have baby peachicks later this year.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
