Pretty as a Peacock

People have been admiring peacocks and their exquisite plumage since the Phoenicians sailed the seas. They were popular with early Romans, medieval princes, and Victorian ladies. Originally found in India, Burma, Java. Ceylon, Malaya and Congo, they can be found as close as Austin, Texas! Karla and I came across this one on Friday night as we roamed the countryside in the Jeep. I have seen them through the years and heard them scream, but hadn't really looked up any information on them. I thought this was interesting...

Although peacocks are a wild bird by nature, they are sociable and have been successfully domesticated for centuries. They are rarely sick and have a lifespan of 40-50 years.

Peacocks (Pavo cristatus) are members of the pheasant family. The word peacock actually refers to the male bird, females are peahens, and the young are peachicks. Together, they are called peafowl and a group of them is a bevy. Most people choose peacocks for their beauty, but one practical reason to keep them is that “they eat bugs and snakes from the garden, but they don’t scratch like chickens.”

The males have the long pretty tails, which they lose and grow back every year.

Peafowl come in a wide variety of colors including blue, green, white, light brown, and purple. The India blue and the green peafowl are the most common colors, but whites, which were first imported to the US in 1927, are rising in popularity.