Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Mor - National bird of India

Blue Peacock, or Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), are beautiful birds that are native to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In Haryana, they are found almost in all villages and orchards. The male peafowl is called a peacock; the female is called a peahen. In the wild, they live in deciduous tropical forests. These magnificent birds do not migrate. A group of peafowl is called an ostentation or a muster. A peacock, dancing in full plumage, is surely among the most beautiful birds in the world. The male peacock in the spring constantly utters its melodious call which can be heard for a long distance. The Peacock is said to come out and dance on seeing clouds and rain. Because of their wonderful appearance, the peacock has long been famous outside of its native country India. Phoenicians brought peacocks to Egypt more than 3000 years ago.

Order: GALLIFORMES    Family: Phasianidae    More images:  Photo 1    Photo 2

Habitat: All habitats, particularly wooded areas near villages. This bird is a very common breeding resident in Haryana.       Local names: Mayur, Mor

Size: The male peafowl, peacock, is about 2 m long. The female, peahen, is about 0.90 m long. Both have a fan-shaped crest on the head. The peacock has a long, brilliantly-colored train of feathers that grow from its shimmering blue back. He can raise the train of feathers, forming a stunning display. The peahen does not have a train; her plumage is brown, white, and black.

Diet: Peafowl eat seeds, grain, fruit, other plant material, and some small animals, like mice, insects and snakes.

Nest & Eggs: Shallow nests made of sticks, leaves, and grass. Nests are usually located in the undergrowth of the forest.

Breeding: Peahens are excellent mothers, but peachicks can be reared just as well with chicken foster mothers or in brooders. They are among the easiest birds to raise. The only precaution to be taken is to give them good shelters in the autumn and winter following their birth, as they are not fully grown before eight or ten months.

Variety: The Indian Peacock has produced several mutations in captivity. These include the Black-shouldered, in which the male has the wings blue, green and black, the female being very pale; the White; and the Pied, in which the normal plumage of the Indian Blue is irregularly marked with white. The so-called 'Spalding' variety is a hybrid between the Indian and the Green species. It is very beautiful bird, intermediate between the two parents in colors, in hardiness and in temperament.

Keeping as Pets: The Indian peafowl, often called Blue peafowl, is hardy and more commonly kept. The Indian Blues do all right in cold climates and are even quite sociable. The Indian Blue Peafowl can live and breed in parks and gardens without any serious fighting. If a yard or a garden is small, they may cause damage to plants by eating leaves and flowers, but if allowed a good deal of room, their destruction is insignificant. Pinioned peacocks will manage to get on trees and walls and over fences, and it is not too easy to confine them. But they almost never stray from home once they have settled down. They can of course also be kept in covered pens, and they live and breed well in them. But they must be given enough room.

Also read about: Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus)