Peacock: Exotic, Elegant, Beauty

19 May 2016

This morning David and Dean were welcomed to a treatment in Broadwell, Warwickshire by a Peacock, perched delicately on the side of a building. Its distinctive feathers majestically fell down the stone brick wall, emphasizing its florescent colors.

The collective term for these birds is “peafowl.” The males are “peacocks” and the females are “peahens.” The babies are called “pea-chicks.”

Their tail feathers, or coverts, spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird’s total body length and boast colorful "eye" markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. The large train is used in mating rituals and courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird's back and touches the ground on either side. Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains. Although they are not born with their feathers. The male pea-chicks don’t start growing their showy trains until about age three. In fact, it’s hard to tell the sex of a pea-chick because they’re nearly identical to their mothers. At around six months, the males will begin to change color

Did you know? A male peafowl is one of the largest flying birds when the combined length of its train and its large wingspan are considered.

As this photo was shared between the Technicians, everyone expressed their amazement at its presence and natural beauty.

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