Peafowl are originally from India. They are of the order Galliforms and related to pheasants. In their native land they eat snakes, plant seeds, fruits, worms and insects. Peafowl are often allowed to roam at large and can become pests. A gathering of peafowl is called a muster.
Peafowl come in several colors, ours are India Blues. The male, called a Peacock, is a beautiful iridescent blue on his neck and head. The females, referred to as peahens, are a greenish color. The tail of a peacock is more correctly called a train, the train starts in the back with 100 to 150 coverts, the fan like feathers. The true tail is underneath with about 20 retrices or true tail feathers. The train color will change when struck by light at different angles causing an array of colors to sparkle, blues, violets, greens, and oranges. The peacock will display his tail vibrating the coverts and shaking his wings to attract the peahen.
The Peahen will nest on the ground laying a clutch of 3 to 12 eggs. The eggs, a little larger then ducks eggs, will be incubated for 28 days, before hatching out peachicks. Peachicks are ready to fly within one week, so they can start roosting with their mothers at night. Peafowl rarely fly preferring to run under cover when startled, but at twilight they will fly to roost in a tree.
Peafowl do not like to be alone, it is usual to keep a trio of two peahens and one peacock. Peacocks will lose their train after breeding season about august, and a new one will begin to grow that winter. Each year the train will be larger until the bird reaches an overall length of approximately 8 feet.
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