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The Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is a large Asian landfowl featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.

Zoopedia Description[]

General[]

Population in the Wild: 100,000 (estimate)

Colloquially known as the Peacock, the Indian Peafowl (or Pavo cristatus) is a large bird native to Southern Asia but which humans have introduced worldwide. The males - peacocks - are famous for their bright blue shiny feathers and extremely large ornamental tail, which they fan out to show off the size and distinctive appearance of their eye-spotted feathers. This is designed both to impress females and intimidate other males. Female peafowl - peahens - look very different to their male counterparts, sporting brown feathers, a flash of blue on the back of their necks, and no tail fan. However, both sexes have a feathered crest on their head.

The species is not endangered, partially due to its attractive appearance, meaning humans breed them artificially to use as an ornamental species. However, the birds are still affected by human behaviour, mostly because of a complicated relationship with farming. They are often considered pests because they damage crops when they graze, but similarly sometimes considered a benefit to farmers as they eat crop pest insects such as grasshoppers. However, this leads to problems where peafowl can be poisoned by eating crops sprayed with pesticides. Others are illegally poached for their meat and feathers, leading to a decline in the population in some areas.

Social[]

Peafowl live in groups called 'musters'. These musters consist of one adult male and several females who live and forage on his territory.

Reproduction[]

During breeding season, male peafowl gather at 'lek' sites - an area where they display for females - in order to show off their tails. Females will visit to choose males to mate with based on their appearance, and both sexes may mate with multiple partners. After mating, the female will build a nest out of twigs and leaves and will lay an egg every 1 to 2 days for up to 12 days until she has typically between 4 and 8 eggs in her clutch. After approximately 28 days of incubation, the chicks will hatch and remain with their mother for 7 to 10 weeks before becoming fully independent. Peafowl reach sexual maturity between 2 and 3 years old, although males may not have developed their full tail fan until they are 4 years old.

Animal Care[]

PREFERRED OBJECTS

Grains and Seeds Â· Chopped Fruit Â· Insects

FEEDING STATIONS
Food Bowl Â· Water Bowl Â· Water Pipe

FOOD ENRICHMENT
Forage Box Enrichment Â· Slow Feeder

HABITAT ENRICHMENT
Herb Scent Marker Â· Mirror Mobile Â· Sprinkler

COMPATIBLE ANIMALS

Indian Peafowl doesn't benefit from sharing space with other species.

Trivia[]

Zoopedia Fun Facts[]

  • The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India and represents wisdom in the religion of Buddhism.
  • There is a direct correlation between how many eye-spots a peacock has on his tail-fan and how successful he is finding mates.
  • Peahens are often more aggressive than peacocks. They will fight other females to gain access to a particularly attractive male and prevent others from getting close to him.
  • Peacocks will molt and lose all their tail feathers in a 2-week period during late summer. They spend the winter re-growing them ready for the following mating season.
  • Peafowl often kill and eat baby cobras. This behaviour has led to them being respected and revered in Indian folklore.

Gallery[]

Image Gallery[]

ANIMAL NAVIGATION
STANDARD: HABITAT
Aardvark ‱ African Buffalo ‱ African Savannah Elephant ‱ African Wild Dog ‱ Aldabra Giant Tortoise ‱ American Bison ‱ Bactrian Camel ‱ Baird's Tapir ‱ Bengal Tiger ‱ Black Wildebeest ‱ Bongo ‱ Bonobo ‱ Bornean Orangutan ‱ Cheetah ‱ Chinese Pangolin ‱ Common Ostrich ‱ Common Warthog ‱ Formosan Black Bear ‱ Galapagos Giant Tortoise ‱ Gemsbok ‱ Gharial ‱ Giant Panda ‱ Greater Flamingo ‱ Grizzly Bear ‱ Himalayan Brown Bear ‱ Hippopotamus ‱ Indian Elephant ‱ Indian Peafowl ‱ Indian Rhinoceros ‱ Japanese Macaque ‱ Mandrill ‱ Nile Monitor ‱ Nyala ‱ Okapi ‱ Plains Zebra ‱ Pronghorn Antelope ‱ Red Panda ‱ Red Ruffed Lemur ‱ Reticulated Giraffe ‱ Ring Tailed Lemur ‱ Sable Antelope ‱ Saltwater Crocodile ‱ Siberian Tiger ‱ Snow Leopard ‱ Spotted Hyena ‱ Springbok ‱ Timber Wolf ‱ West African Lion ‱ Western Chimpanzee ‱ Western Lowland Gorilla
ANNIVERSARY UPDATES
African Leopard ‱ Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur ‱ Collared Peccary ‱ Red Deer
STANDARD: EXHIBIT
Amazonian Giant Centipede ‱ Boa Constrictor ‱ Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula ‱ Brazilian Wandering Spider ‱ Common Death Adder ‱ Eastern Brown Snake ‱ Giant Burrowing Cockroach ‱ Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion ‱ Giant Forest Scorpion ‱ Giant Tiger Land Snail ‱ Gila Monster ‱ Golden Poison Frog ‱ Goliath Beetle ‱ Goliath Birdeater ‱ Goliath Frog ‱ Green Iguana ‱ Lehmann's Poison Frog ‱ Lesser Antillean Iguana ‱ Mexican Red Knee Tarantula ‱ Puff Adder ‱ Titan Beetle ‱ Western Diamondback Rattlesnake ‱ Yellow Anaconda
DELUXE EDITION
Komodo Dragon ‱ Pygmy Hippo ‱ Thomson's Gazelle
ARCTIC PACK
Arctic Wolf ‱ Dall Sheep ‱ Polar Bear ‱ Reindeer
SOUTH AMERICA PACK
Colombian White-Faced Capuchin Monkey ‱ Giant Anteater ‱ Jaguar ‱ Llama ‱ Red-Eyed Tree Frog
AUSTRALIA PACK
Dingo ‱ Koala ‱ Red Kangaroo ‱ Southern Cassowary ‱ Eastern Blue Tongued Lizard
AQUATIC PACK
Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman ‱ Giant Otter ‱ Grey Seal ‱ King Penguin ‱ Diamondback Terrapin
SOUTHEAST ASIA ANIMAL PACK
Binturong ‱ Clouded Leopard ‱ Dhole ‱ Malayan Tapir ‱ North Sulawesi Babirusa ‱ Proboscis Monkey ‱ Sun Bear ‱ Giant Malaysian Leaf Insect
AFRICA PACK
African Penguin ‱ Fennec Fox ‱ Meerkat ‱ Southern White Rhinoceros ‱ Sacred Scarab Beetle
NORTH AMERICA ANIMAL PACK
American Alligator ‱ Arctic Fox ‱ Black-Tailed Prairie Dog ‱ California Sea Lion ‱ Cougar ‱ Moose ‱ North American Beaver ‱ American Bullfrog
EUROPE PACK
Alpine Ibex ‱ Eurasian Lynx ‱ European Badger ‱ European Fallow Deer ‱ Fire Salamander
WETLANDS ANIMAL PACK
Asian Small-Clawed Otter ‱ Capybara ‱ Nile Lechwe ‱ Platypus ‱ Red-Crowned Crane ‱ Spectacled Caiman ‱ Wild Water Buffalo ‱ Danube Crested Newt
CONSERVATION PACK
Amur Leopard ‱ Axolotl ‱ Przewalski's Horse ‱ Scimitar-Horned Oryx ‱ Siamang
TWILIGHT PACK
Common Wombat ‱ Egyptian Fruit Bat ‱ Raccoon ‱ Red Fox ‱ Striped Skunk
GRASSLANDS ANIMAL PACK
Blue Wildebeest ‱ Caracal ‱ Cloudless Sulphur ‱ Emu ‱ European Peacock ‱ Maned Wolf ‱ Menelaus Blue Morpho ‱ Monarch ‱ Nine-Banded Armadillo ‱ Old World Swallowtail ‱ Red-Necked Wallaby ‱ Striped Hyena
TROPICAL PACK
Asian Water Monitor ‱ Brown-throated Sloth ‱ Fossa ‱ Lar Gibbon ‱ Red River Hog
ARID ANIMAL PACK
Addax ‱ African Crested Porcupine ‱ Black Rhinoceros ‱ Dama Gazelle ‱ Desert Horned Viper ‱ Dromedary Camel ‱ Sand Cat ‱ Somali Wild Ass
OCEANIA PACK
Little Penguin ‱ North Island Brown Kiwi ‱ Quokka ‱ Spectacled Flying Fox ‱ Tasmanian Devil
EURASIA ANIMAL PACK
Hermann's Tortoise ‱ Mute Swan ‱ Saiga ‱ Sloth Bear ‱ Takin ‱ Wild Boar ‱ Wisent ‱ Wolverine
BARNYARD ANIMAL PACK
Alpaca ‱ Alpine Goat ‱ American Standard Donkey ‱ Highland Cattle ‱ Hill Radnor Sheep ‱ Sussex Chicken ‱ Tamworth Pig
ZOOKEEPERS ANIMAL PACK
African Spurred Tortoise ‱ Coquerel's Sifaka ‱ Hamadryas Baboon ‱ Kirk's Dik-Dik ‱ Markhor ‱ Pallas's Cat ‱ Spectacled Bear
For the main article, see here.
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