El pavo real común (Pavo cristatus) es una gran ave nativa del sur de Asia pero que los humanos han introducido en todo el mundo. Los machos son célebres por su plumaje azul brillante y su cola ornamental extremadamente grande, que agitan para alardear del tamaño y del peculiar aspecto que le dan sus plumas adornadas con ocelos. Este diseño tiene el objeto de impresionar a las hembras e intimidar a los demás machos. Las hembras son muy diferentes: sus plumas son marrones salvo en la parte trasera del cuello, de un azul eléctrico, y no presentan el abanico de la cola. Lo que sí que comparten ambos sexos es el penacho de plumas en la cabeza.
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Pavo cristatus
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indian-peafowl
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Animal 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 moult 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 lead to them being respected and revered in Indian folklore.