Peacock: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[Peafowl]] |
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{{Refimprove|date=April 2008}} |
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{{Taxobox |
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| name = Peafowl |
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| image = peacock_courting_peahen.jpg |
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| image_width = 250px |
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| image_caption = An Indian Blue Peacock (rear) courts a peahen (front) |
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| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
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| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
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| classis = [[bird|Aves]] |
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| ordo = [[Galliformes]] |
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| familia = [[Phasianidae]] |
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| genus = '''''[[Pavo (genus)|Pavo]]'''''<br><small>[[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758</small> |
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| subdivision_ranks = Species |
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| subdivision = |
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''[[Pavo cristatus]]''<br> |
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''[[Pavo muticus]]''<br> |
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}} |
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{{Listen |
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|filename = Pavo cristatus (call).ogg |
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|title = Indian peafowl call |
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}} |
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The term '''peafowl''' can refer to the two [[species]] of [[bird]] in the [[genus]] '''''Pavo''''' of the [[pheasant]] [[family (biology)|family]], [[Phasianidae]]. The [[Africa]]n [[Congo Peafowl]] is placed in its own genus [[Afropavo]] and is not dealt with here. Peafowl are best known for the male's extravagant [[tail]], which it displays as part of [[courtship]]. The male is called a '''peacock''', the female a '''peahen''',<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9058859/peacock peacock - Britannica Online Encyclopedia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> though it is common to hear the female also referred to as a "peacock" or "female peacock". The female peafowl is brown or toned grey and brown.''' |
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The two species are: |
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*[[Indian Peafowl]], ''Pavo cristatus'' (Asiatic) |
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*[[Green Peafowl]], ''Pavo muticus'' (Asiatic) |
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The '''Indian Peafowl''' is a resident breeder in the [[Indian subcontinent]]. The peacock is designated as the [[national bird]] of the [[Republic of India]] and the provincial bird of the [[Punjab (Pakistan)]]. |
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The '''Green Peafowl''' breeds from [[Burma]] east to [[Java (island)|Java]]. The [[IUCN]] lists the Green Peafowl as vulnerable to extinction due to hunting and a reduction in extent and quality of [[Habitat_loss|habitat]]. |
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==Plumage== |
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[[Image:Pfau imponierend.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Close-up of a male Indian Peafowl's plumage]] |
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The male (peacock) Indian Peafowl has iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage. The so-called "tail" of the peacock, also termed the "train," is not the tail quill feathers but highly elongated upper tail [[covert feather|covert]]s. The train feathers have a series of eyes that are best seen when the tail is fanned. Both species have a crest atop the head. |
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The female (peahen) Indian Peafowl has a mixture of dull green, brown, and grey in her plumage. She lacks the long upper tail coverts of the male but has a crest. The female can also display her plumage to ward off female competition or danger to her young. |
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The Green Peafowl is different in appearance from the Indian Peafowl. The male has green and gold plumage and has an erect crest. The wings are black with a sheen of blue. |
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Unlike the Indian Peafowl, the Green Peahen is very similar to the male, only having shorter upper tail coverts and less iridescence. It is very hard to tell a juvenile male from an adult female. |
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Many of the brilliant colours of the peacock plumage are due to an optical [[Interference (wave propagation)|interference]] phenomenon, [[Bragg reflection]], based on (nearly) periodic nanostructures found in the [[barbule]]s (fiber-like components) of the feathers. |
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Different colours correspond to different length scales of the periodic structures. For brown feathers, a mixture of red and blue is required: one colour is created by the periodic structure, and the other is a created by a [[Fabry-Perot interferometer|Fabry-Perot interference]] peak from reflections off the outermost and innermost boundaries of the periodic structure. White (albino) peafowls are sometimes bred. |
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Such interference-based ''structural colour'' is especially important in producing the peacock's [[iridescent]] hues (which shimmer and change with viewing angle), since interference effects depend upon the angle of light, unlike chemical pigments. |
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==Behaviour== |
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[[Image:Peacock rear - melbourne zoo.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A rear view of an Indian Blue Peacock's tail feathers]] |
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The peafowl are forest birds that nest on the ground. The ''Pavo'' peafowl are terrestrial feeders but roost in trees. |
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Both species of Peafowl are believed to be [[polygamous]]. However, it has been suggested that "females" entering a male Green Peafowl's territory <ref>[http://kickingthorn.com/v-web/gallery/Pavo-spicifer-spicifer/Vorawan_family_unit Kickingthorn.com <!-- Bot generated title -->] Gallery: Southern spicifer, Irrawady basin and southern Burma to the Salween drainage basin. This is the nominate form Pavo spicifer spicifer: 19</ref> are really his own juvenile or subadult young (K. B. Woods in litt. 2000) and that Green Peafowl are really monogamous in the wild. The male peacock flares out its feathers when it is trying to get the female's attention. Those who subscribe to this notion cite the similarities between the sexes. |
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During mating season they will often emit a very loud high pitched cry. |
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==Diet== |
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Peafowl are omnivorous and eat plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians. |
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In common with other members of the [[Galliformes]], males possess metatarsal spurs or "thorns" used primarily during [[Intraspecific antagonism|intraspecific]] fights. |
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==Habitat== |
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Asiatic peafowl like the Indian Blue Peafowl, and especially the Green Peafowl, occupy a similar niche as the [[Geococcyx|roadrunner]]s, [[Secretary Bird]], and [[seriema]]s. All of these birds hunt for small animals including [[arthropod]]s on the ground and tall grass and [[minnow]]s in shallow streams. |
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==Feral populations== |
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Peafowl have left captivity and developed permanent, free-roaming populations in several parts of the world including [[Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida]]<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/28/AR2008112802551.html?nav=rss_print/asection Paul Scicchitano. The Fowling of a Miami Neighborhood. The Washington Post. November 29, 2008.]</ref> |
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, and [[Brownsea Island]], [[Dorset]], England. |
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==Gallery== |
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{{commons|Pavo}} |
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===Indian Peafowl=== |
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<gallery> |
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Image:PeacockHead.jpg|An Indian Blue Peacock's head |
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Image:Peacock_00782.jpg|Shot of <!-- possibly the same? -->a white peacock |
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Image:Oregon zoo peacock male.jpg|Indian Blue Peacock, male |
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Image:Peahen on Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.jpg|An Indian Blue Peahen showing her plumage |
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Image:040411.JPG|Closeup of an Indian Blue Peacock's head |
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Image:Peacock DSC04082.jpg|When it is not in display, the long train rests on the ground and hampers the movements of the peacock |
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Image:White_peacock.jpg|A white peacock showing off his plumage |
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Image:Male Indian Blue Peacock head.jpg|The head of a male Indian Blue Peacock |
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Image:Bottom of plate CXLII from 1st Encyclopaedia Britannica.jpg|Indian Blue Peacocks as illustrated in the First Edition of the [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |
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Image:Charles d'Orbigney00.jpg|by [[Charles Henry Dessalines d'Orbigny|Charles d'Orbigney]] (1806–1876) |
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Image:Peacock-rtisbute-steven-viemeister-1.jpg| A white peacock domesticated in Mexico. |
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Image:White_peacock.JPG | White peacock seen in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]] |
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Image:Peacock 2.JPG | Peacock seen in [[San Francisco]], [[California]] |
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Image:Peafowl eggs.jpg | Eggs of peafowl with a nest in [[Sri Lanka]]. |
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</gallery> |
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===Green Peafowl=== |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Pavo muticus1.jpg|Male |
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Image:Pavo muticus2.jpg|Female |
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Image:Pavo muticus3.jpg|Close-up of a female's head |
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Image:Stavenn Pavo muticus 01.jpg |
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<!-- Image:Frankyboy Pavo muticus.JPG --> |
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</gallery> |
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==References== |
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<!--This article uses the Cite.php citation mechanism. If you would like more information on how to add references to this article, please see http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php --> |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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<!--this citations below should go by the phrase IN the article |
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* {{cite journal |
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| last = Blau |
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| first = S.K. |
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| authorlink = |
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| coauthors = |
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| title = Light as a Feather: Structural Elements Give Peacock Plumes Their Color |
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| journal = Physics Today |
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| volume = 57 |
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| issue = 1 |
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| pages = 18–20 |
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| date = Jan. [[2004]] |
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| publisher = |
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| url = http://www.aip.org/pt/vol-57/iss-1/p18.html |
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| format = |
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| id = |
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| accessdate = 27 September 2006 |
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| doi = 10.1063/1.1650059 }} |
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* {{cite journal |
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| last = Loyau |
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| first = A. |
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| authorlink = |
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| coauthors = Saint Jalme, M., and Cagniant, C. |
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| title = Multiple sexual advertisements honestly reflect health status in peacocks (''Pavo cristatus'') |
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| journal = Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
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| volume = 58 |
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| issue = 6 |
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| pages = 552–557 |
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| date = 3 May 2005 |
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| publisher = [[Springer]] Berlin / Heidelberg |
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| url = http://www.springerlink.com/link.asp?id=j705122208485740 |
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| format = |
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| id = ISSN 0340-5443 (Print); ISSN 1432-0762 (Online) |
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| accessdate = 27 September 2006 |
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| doi = 10.1007/s00265-005-0958-y }} |
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--> |
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==External links== |
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{{Wiktionary}} |
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* [http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/gall.html Zoonomen - Zoological Nomenclature Resource] — World Birds Taxonomic List as of 2006-09-26 |
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* [http://database.amyspeacockparadise.com/ Peafowl Varieties Database] |
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* [http://www.gamebird.com/peacock.html The Peacock Pages: All About Peacocks!], An article by Lisa Johnson from the ''Game Bird and Conservationists' Gazette'' — Aspects of the cultural role of peafowl and their place in aviculture. |
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* [http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/index.htm United Peafowl Association Knowledge Base] |
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* "Behavioural Ecologists Elucidated How Peahens Choose Their Mates, And Why", an article at [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050814172316.htm ScienceDaily.com] |
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* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/pheasants-partridges-phasianidae Peafowl videos, photos & sounds] on the Internet Bird Collection |
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* [http://www.takeourword.com/Issue070.html Peacock] — Etymology of the word |
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* [http://www.ghanaclips.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e414107ee22b6198c578 Video of a peacock showing of his plumage] |
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[[Category:Birds of India]] |
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[[Category:Birds of Pakistan]] |
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[[Category:Heraldic birds]] |
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[[Category:National symbols of Burma]] |
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[[Category:Peafowls|*]] |
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[[Category:Pheasants]] |
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[[ar:طاووس]] |
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[[br:Paun]] |
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[[ca:Paó]] |
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[[nv:Tsídii bitseeʼ naashchʼąąʼí]] |
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[[el:Παγώνι]] |
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[[es:Pavo (género)]] |
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[[eo:Pavo]] |
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[[fa:طاووس]] |
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[[fr:Paon]] |
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[[gu:મોર]] |
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[[ko:공작 (동물)]] |
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[[io:Pavono]] |
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[[id:Merak]] |
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[[he:טווס]] |
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[[kn:ನವಿಲು]] |
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[[ks:मयूर]] |
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[[sw:Tausi]] |
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[[ne:मयूर]] |
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[[ja:クジャク]] |
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[[no:Påfugl]] |
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[[nn:Påfugl]] |
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[[oc:Pavon]] |
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[[pt:Pavão]] |
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[[ru:Павлин]] |
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[[simple:Peafowl]] |
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[[sr:Паун]] |
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[[ta:மயில்]] |
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[[te:నెమలి]] |
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[[th:นกยูง]] |
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[[tr:Tavus kuşu]] |
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[[vi:Công (chim)]] |
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[[zh-yue:孔雀]] |
Revision as of 05:15, 18 March 2010
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2008) |
Peafowl | |
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![]() | |
An Indian Blue Peacock (rear) courts a peahen (front) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species | |
The term peafowl can refer to the two species of bird in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. The African Congo Peafowl is placed in its own genus Afropavo and is not dealt with here. Peafowl are best known for the male's extravagant tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen,[1] though it is common to hear the female also referred to as a "peacock" or "female peacock". The female peafowl is brown or toned grey and brown. The two species are:
- Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus (Asiatic)
- Green Peafowl, Pavo muticus (Asiatic)
The Indian Peafowl is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent. The peacock is designated as the national bird of the Republic of India and the provincial bird of the Punjab (Pakistan).
The Green Peafowl breeds from Burma east to Java. The IUCN lists the Green Peafowl as vulnerable to extinction due to hunting and a reduction in extent and quality of habitat.
Plumage
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Pfau_imponierend.jpg/250px-Pfau_imponierend.jpg)
The male (peacock) Indian Peafowl has iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage. The so-called "tail" of the peacock, also termed the "train," is not the tail quill feathers but highly elongated upper tail coverts. The train feathers have a series of eyes that are best seen when the tail is fanned. Both species have a crest atop the head.
The female (peahen) Indian Peafowl has a mixture of dull green, brown, and grey in her plumage. She lacks the long upper tail coverts of the male but has a crest. The female can also display her plumage to ward off female competition or danger to her young.
The Green Peafowl is different in appearance from the Indian Peafowl. The male has green and gold plumage and has an erect crest. The wings are black with a sheen of blue.
Unlike the Indian Peafowl, the Green Peahen is very similar to the male, only having shorter upper tail coverts and less iridescence. It is very hard to tell a juvenile male from an adult female.
Many of the brilliant colours of the peacock plumage are due to an optical interference phenomenon, Bragg reflection, based on (nearly) periodic nanostructures found in the barbules (fiber-like components) of the feathers.
Different colours correspond to different length scales of the periodic structures. For brown feathers, a mixture of red and blue is required: one colour is created by the periodic structure, and the other is a created by a Fabry-Perot interference peak from reflections off the outermost and innermost boundaries of the periodic structure. White (albino) peafowls are sometimes bred.
Such interference-based structural colour is especially important in producing the peacock's iridescent hues (which shimmer and change with viewing angle), since interference effects depend upon the angle of light, unlike chemical pigments.
Behaviour
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Peacock_rear_-_melbourne_zoo.jpg/250px-Peacock_rear_-_melbourne_zoo.jpg)
The peafowl are forest birds that nest on the ground. The Pavo peafowl are terrestrial feeders but roost in trees.
Both species of Peafowl are believed to be polygamous. However, it has been suggested that "females" entering a male Green Peafowl's territory [2] are really his own juvenile or subadult young (K. B. Woods in litt. 2000) and that Green Peafowl are really monogamous in the wild. The male peacock flares out its feathers when it is trying to get the female's attention. Those who subscribe to this notion cite the similarities between the sexes.
During mating season they will often emit a very loud high pitched cry.
Diet
Peafowl are omnivorous and eat plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians.
In common with other members of the Galliformes, males possess metatarsal spurs or "thorns" used primarily during intraspecific fights.
Habitat
Asiatic peafowl like the Indian Blue Peafowl, and especially the Green Peafowl, occupy a similar niche as the roadrunners, Secretary Bird, and seriemas. All of these birds hunt for small animals including arthropods on the ground and tall grass and minnows in shallow streams.
Feral populations
Peafowl have left captivity and developed permanent, free-roaming populations in several parts of the world including Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida[3] , and Brownsea Island, Dorset, England.
Gallery
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Indian Peafowl
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An Indian Blue Peacock's head
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Shot of a white peacock
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Indian Blue Peacock, male
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An Indian Blue Peahen showing her plumage
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Closeup of an Indian Blue Peacock's head
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When it is not in display, the long train rests on the ground and hampers the movements of the peacock
-
A white peacock showing off his plumage
-
The head of a male Indian Blue Peacock
-
Indian Blue Peacocks as illustrated in the First Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica
-
by Charles d'Orbigney (1806–1876)
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A white peacock domesticated in Mexico.
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Peacock seen in San Francisco, California
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Eggs of peafowl with a nest in Sri Lanka.
Green Peafowl
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Male
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Female
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Close-up of a female's head
References
- ^ peacock - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ Kickingthorn.com Gallery: Southern spicifer, Irrawady basin and southern Burma to the Salween drainage basin. This is the nominate form Pavo spicifer spicifer: 19
- ^ Paul Scicchitano. The Fowling of a Miami Neighborhood. The Washington Post. November 29, 2008.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)
- Zoonomen - Zoological Nomenclature Resource — World Birds Taxonomic List as of 2006-09-26
- Peafowl Varieties Database
- The Peacock Pages: All About Peacocks!, An article by Lisa Johnson from the Game Bird and Conservationists' Gazette — Aspects of the cultural role of peafowl and their place in aviculture.
- United Peafowl Association Knowledge Base
- "Behavioural Ecologists Elucidated How Peahens Choose Their Mates, And Why", an article at ScienceDaily.com
- Peafowl videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Peacock — Etymology of the word
- Video of a peacock showing of his plumage