 The Dancing Peacock
It was only after the second
safari ride at the Yala National Park only did we see a dashing peacock
displaying his feathers to the proud peahen. We were lucky to chance
upon it as we were heading to the Park’s entrance making it a lovely
feather dance all the way as the peacock showcased his feathers for the
peahen.
 Originating from India, the Indian Peafowl also known as the Common
Peafowl or the Blue Peafowl, has made Sri Lanka its home. Being one of
the species of birds in the genus Pavo of the Phasianidae, the family of
the Indian Peafowl is scattered everywhere across the Subcontinent.
Occasionally, you will see the peacock roosting on a stone or tree
making its tail bushy and propped, which means that it is drying its
feathers. At other times, you can see it just having a lie down when the
sun shines as it becomes warmer for them to play outside. Ruwan, our
naturalist driver said, “Often peacocks quickly move once they see a
vehicle so we should be careful when we get too close because they get
scared.” In another aspect, we noted that the young females went
together often in a flock with their mother and males roamed alone.
The Indian Peacock has iridescent blue-green plumage. The upper tail
coverts on its back are elongated delicately with an eye at the end of
each feather making it a striking contrast in the case of the male
peacock. The female plumage is a blend of dull green, grey and
iridescent blue, with a prominent greenish-grey. During the mating
season, females stand apart as they lack the long ‘tail feathers’ also
known as the train, and in the non-breeding season they can be
distinguished from males by the green colour of the neck as opposed to
the blue on the males.
The beauty of the peafowl in nature is the male’s extravagant display
of feathers which, despite actually growing from their back, are known
as a ‘tail’ or train. This train is in reality not the tail but the
enormously elongated upper tail coverts. The tail itself is brown and
short as in the peahen. The colours result from the micro-structure of
the feathers and the resulting optical phenomena. The ornate train is
believed to be the result of female sexual selection as males raised the
feathers into a fan and quiver it as part of courtship display.Hence,
when you witness a stunning display of feathers and plumage, it is a
rare treat as they don’t do it often.
- ND
Pic: Ramli Mohamed
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