The male, known as a peacock, is a large bird with a length from bill to tail of 100 to 115 cm (40 to 46 inches) and to the end of a fully grown train as much as 195 to 225 cm (78 to 90 inches) and weigh 4–6 kg (8.8-13.2 lbs). The females, or peahens, are smaller at around 95 cm (38 inches) in length and weigh 2.75–4 kg (6-8.8 lbs). Their size, colour and shape of crest make them unmistakable within their native distribution range. The male is metallic blue on the crown, the feathers of the head being short and curled. The fan-shaped crest on the head is made of feathers with bare black shafts and tipped with blush-green webbing. A white stripe above the eye and a crescent shaped white patch below the eye are formed by bare white skin. The sides of the head have iridescent greenish blue feathers. The back has scaly bronze-green feathers with black and copper markings. The scapular and the wings are buff and barred in black, the primaries are chestnut and the secondaries are black. The tail is dark brown and the "train" is made up by elongated upper tail coverts (more than 200 feathers, the actual tail has only 20 feathers) and nearly all of these feathers end with an elaborate eye-spot. A few of the outer feathers lack the spot and end in a crescent shaped black tip. The underside is dark glossy green

ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

Although peafowl were once common in Bangladesh, now they may be extinct in that country. Because of its appearance, this bird was taken worldwide! Early seafarers decided to bring the peafowl to their homelands in other parts of the western world. This method seems to have saved the bird from complete extinction. Traders in the year 1000 B.C. introduced the birds to present-day Syria and the Egyptian pharaohs. Alexander the Great imported more of the birds into his Mediterranean domains and severely penalized anyone caught harming them. Peafowl were a status symbol through Roman times and the Middle Ages, ensuring their establishment and survival throughout Europe. Fortunately, such a long and close association with humans has given peafowls an excellent chance of survival.

FAST FACT

DESCRIPTION: MALE The cock has a fan-shaped crest, a metallic blue head, and a bright blue neck and upper body. The tail has long, ornamental feathers (not true tail feathers but elongated upper tail coverts) with black eye-spots on the rounded tips. FEMALE The hen has a chestnut-brown crest and neck with feathers bordered in bronze and green.

SIZE: MALE Total body length is approximately 2.3 meters (7.5 ft.); the train is 1.4-1.6 m (4.62-5.28 feet) long and accounts for more than 60% of total body length FEMALE Females are smaller than males

WEIGHT: Approximately 2.75-4.0 kg (6.05-8.8 lb)

DIET: Includes grains, insects, small reptiles, small mammals, berries, drupes, wild figs, and some cultivated crops

INCUBATION: Approximately 28 days CLUTCH SIZE 3-12 eggs

SEXUAL MATURITY: Approximately 2-3 years

LIFE SPAN: Approximately 20-24 years

RANGE: Eastern Pakistan through India, south from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka

HABITAT: Inhabits open forests, stream-side forests, orchards, and other cultivated areas

POPULATION: GLOBAL Unknown

STATUS: IUCN Not listed CITES Not listed USFWS Not listed

FUN FACTS

1.	In 1963, the peafowl was declared the national bird of India because of its rich religious and legendary involvement in Indian traditions.
2.	Hindus consider this bird to be sacred because the god Kartikeya rides on its back. Legend also says the peafowl is able to charm snakes and addle their eggs!
3.	In Greek mythology, the peacock's ornate train became a famous tail! The goddess Hera had a faithful servant named Argus. He had numerous eyes all over his body. When Hermes killed her watchful servant, Hera took Argus's eyes and placed them on the tail of the peacock to honor his memory.
4.	Males are called peacocks, females are peahens, and young are known as peachicks.
5.	This bird is one of the most recognizable birds in the world!
6.	Male Indian peafowl are polygamous, mating with many females during a breeding season. The males establish breeding territories known as a lek. When time to breed, female wander through many male's territories, sometimes making repeated visits, before selecting a male. The males do not help to raise the young.

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

COMMON NAME:	Indian peafowl, common peafowl
KINGDOM:	Animalia
PHYLUM:	Chordata
CLASS:	Aves
ORDER:	Galliformes
FAMILY:	Phasianidae
GENUS SPECIES:	Pavo (peacock) cristatus (crested)

Introduction

The Indian Peafowl or Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is a large and brightly coloured bird of the pheasant family native to South Asia, but introduced and semi-feral in many other parts of the world. The male, peacock, is predominantly blue with a fan-like crest of spatula-tipped wire-like feathers and is best known for the long train made up of elongated upper-tail covert feathers which bear colourful eyespots. These stiff and elongated feathers are raised into a fan and quivered in a display during courtship. The female lacks the train, has a greenish lower neck and has a duller brown plumage. They are found mainly on the ground in open forest or cultivation where they forage for berries, grains but will also prey on snakes, lizards, and small rodents. Their loud calls make them easy to detect, and in forest areas, often indicate the presence of a predator such as a tiger. They forage on the ground, moving in small groups and will usually try to escape on foot through undergrowth and avoid flying. They will fly up into tall trees to roost, however. It is a bird that is celebrated in Indian and even Greek mythology and is national bird of India.