Indian Peafowl
Class: Birds
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Weight: 4-5 kg
Height: 50 cm and more
Body length: 125 cm
Color: head, neck, and part of the chest are blue; back is green; lower body is black. The female is smaller, less colorful, and lacks elongated feathers on the head.
Age of sexual maturity: 2-3 years
Gestation period: about a month
Lifespan: about 20 years
Habitat: inhabits Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal
Diet: vegetarian food (grass, grains, various fruits) and animal food (worms, caterpillars, beetles)
Did you know?
- The spiritual significance of the Indian peafowl is to embrace freedom, integrity, love, and self-expression.
- Approximately 28 days after incubation, chicks hatch fully developed; they can run and feed almost immediately after hatching.
- Peafowls often kill and eat cobra hatchlings. This behavior has led to their reverence in Indian folklore.
- Peafowls are among the heaviest flying birds, although they prefer walking and running. They fly with rapid, short bursts to escape predators or reach tree roosts where they spend the night.