O pavão-indiano (Pavo cristatus) é uma ave de grande porte, nativa do Sudeste Asiático, que foi levada pelo ser humano ao resto do mundo. Os machos são conhecidos pelas penas azuis brilhantes e pela imensa cauda ornamental, que abrem como leque para exibir o tamanho e as penas características decoradas com ocelos. A cauda serve para impressionar as fêmeas e para intimidar outros machos. As fêmeas, conhecidas como pavoas, são muito diferentes dos machos: têm penas marrons, uma faixa de penas azuis atrás do pescoço e cauda curta. No entanto, ambos os sexos têm uma crista de penas na cabeça.
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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.