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Indian Peafowl
Pavo cristatus
The peacock — the male's shimmering blue neck and fanned, eye-spotted train are unmistakable.
How to spot it
The male (peacock) has an iridescent blue neck and breast and a huge train of green feathers marked with eye-spots, which he raises into a fan to display. The female (peahen) is brown and much plainer, without the train.
Where it lives
Native to the Indian subcontinent, in open forest, farmland edges and near villages; it is the national bird of India and is kept and semi-wild in many parks worldwide.
What it eats
An omnivore — seeds, grain, insects, and small creatures such as reptiles.
Song & behaviour
Famous for a loud, far-carrying "may-awe" call, heard especially before rain and in the breeding season. Roosts in tall trees at night.
Nesting
Nests on the ground in a shallow scrape hidden in vegetation, where the well-camouflaged peahen incubates the eggs.
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