The peacock is the national bird of India. A peacock displaying its feathers is one of the most spectacular natural sights. Some of you may have seen that the peacock has a beautiful train of feathers which he displays during the breeding season. It usually attracts several females with its display, but as soon as any of them approaches, it turns his back on them. The reason for this peculiar behaviour is not very clear. But it is certain that this is done to woo the female.

The peacock belongs to the phasianidae family. The male is called a peacock and the female is a peahen. But both are known as peafowls.

There are two species of peafowl. One is found in India and Sri Lanka,which is blue in colour while the other species is found in Southeast Asia and is green in colour. In fact, the peacock is a native of Asia and the East Indies, from where it has been introduced to other parts of the world.

The male of both species has a 75 cm long body and 150 cm tail. The female is smaller than the male. The tail is made up of several beautiful feathers. When displaying them, the peacock elevates the tail and brings it forward, enveloping his body as he struts and quivers, rattling the quills and uttering loud screams. The blue peacock's body is a metallic blue-green. The green peacock has a green and bronze body. The hens of both species are green and brown. They do not have the trail of feathers or the 'crown' on them.

In the wild, both live in open lowland forests, flocking by day and roosting high in trees. The male usually has a 'harem' of one to five hens, each of which lays four to eight buffy or white eggs. Peafowls are omnivorous which mean they eat both plants and animals. They can eat even snakes, notably cobras.

Christina La-Faber,

De Mazenod College, Kandana.