General

Indian Peafowl: Large pheasant with shimmering blue neck and breast. Face is white and head sports a very distinct fan-shaped blue crest. During courtship, long ornate tail is fanned out and held erect. Each tail feather has an eye. Female is brown overall and lacks long tail, has blue-green neck and breast, white belly and a very distinct brown crest. Juvenile resembles female but has mottled breast. Second-year male resembles adult male, train is shorter and lacks eyes; length of male's train increases with age up to their fourth year. Formerly Common Peafowl, the name was changed in 2014 by the American Ornithologist Union.

Range and Habitat

Indian Peafowl: Native to southern India and Ceylon. Introduced and established in scattered localities in Hawaii (Hawaii, Oahu, Nihau, and Maui). In North America, common in zoos, however small feral populations exist in southern California and Florida. Preferred habitats include lowlands and foothills.

Breeding and Nesting

Indian Peafowl: These birds are polygamous; one male may have several female mates. Five to seven light brown eggs are laid in a shallow depression in the ground lined with leaves and hidden in tall grass. The eggs are incubated for 28 days by the female. After hatching, the chicks are reared for about seven to nine weeks.

Foraging and Feeding

Indian Peafowl: These birds are omnivorous. They feed on a variety of foods, including grain, seeds, flower buds, tender shoots of crops, fruits, worms, arthropods, insects, snakes and reptiles. They forage on the ground and return to the same watering hole each day at dusk before roosting in a tree for the night. They often forage in cultivated areas and outlying scrubland.

Vocalization

Indian Peafowl: Male gives very loud wailing cries, often when sensing danger approaching. Honks when alarmed, especially in flight.

Similar Species

Indian Peafowl: Unlikely to be confused with any other species in its range.