Long Way Education

By Eman Abdallah Kamel

Eman is a writer and engineer. She writes about a wide range of topics, including plants, animals, and birds.

The peacock has stunning colours. This article discusses the three species of peacock, their characteristics, and the threats they face.

Peacock

“Peafowl” is the common name for two species of birds in the genus Pavo and one species in the closely related genus Afropavo within the tribe Pavonini of the Phasianidae family. It is common to use the term “peacock” to describe both male and female birds. Peacocks, technically, are only males. Females are peahens. Together, they are called peafowl.

The peafowl is a forest bird that nests on the ground but roosts in trees. All peacock species are believed to be polygamous. Like other members of the Galliformes family, males have thorns on their legs that are used in territorial fights with other members of the same kind.

Peacocks are omnivores, consuming a variety of foods, including plants, seed heads, flower petals, insects, other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians.

Suitable males may mate with several females, each of whom lays three to five eggs. Wild peacocks often gather in groups called “parties.”

Did you know?

The peacock’s feathers have “eye” markings of blue, red, gold, and other colours, and its tail feathers are arranged in a characteristic train that makes up over 60% of its overall body length. This large train is used in courtship displays and mating rituals. It can be curved into a magnificent fan that extends across the bird’s back and touches the ground on either side.

Is the peacock threatened?

The green peacock is the only threatened species in the world. It is classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Let’s explore more about this stunning bird.

Peafowl Species

There are three species of peafowl, including

1. The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus),
2. The green peafowl (Pavo muticus),
3. The Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis).

1. Indian Peafowl

The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus), also known as the blue peafowl, is native to the Indian subcontinent. This species of peafowl ranges from Eastern Pakistan through India, south from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka. They inhabit open forests, riparian forests, orchards, and other cultivated areas.

They eat berries, wild fruits, wild figs, insects, grains, small reptiles, small mammals, and some farmed crops.

The total body length is about 2.3 meters; the tail is between 1.4 and 1.6 meters long, accounting for more than 60% of the total body length. Females are smaller than males. This type of peafowl weighs about 2.75 to 4.0 kg.

The hen’s neck and crest are both chestnut-brown, with bronze and green-bordered feathers. The cock has a bright blue neck, a metallic blue head, and a fan-shaped crest. The tail features long, ornamental feathers with black eye spots on the rounded tips.

Its global population size is unknown, but in Taiwan and Japan, it is estimated that there are between 100 and 10,000 breeding pairs in each country.

It is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Did you know?

The Indian peafowl is capable of flight, but it rarely takes flight, often running on its feet through the bushes when disturbed. When taking off, it uses slow, rhythmic flaps to maintain flight rather than gliding.

2. Green Peafowl

The green peacock (Pavo muticus) is native to tropical forests in Southeast Asia and Indochina. Once common throughout Southeast Asia, only a few isolated species remain in Cambodia and neighbouring areas of Vietnam.

The green peacock inhabits open tropical forests, often near water. It is beautiful and distinctive within its range. Both sexes have glossy green necks, dark wings, and a dark green crest, which is always held vertically. Males have the classic large peacock tail, which is opened and raised during courtship. Females have a short tail without ornamental feathers but share some of the green train’s brilliance.

The green peafowl is a large bird. Males reach 1.8–3 meters in length, including a tail that is 1.4–1.6 meters long. The adult female is approximately half the length of the male, between 1 and 1.1 meters.

Since 2009, the IUCN Red List has listed the green peafowl as endangered.

There are three subspecies of green peafowl:

1. The Java peafowl (Pavo muticus muticus),
2. The Indo-Chinese peafowl (P. m. imperator),
3. The Burmese peafowl (P. m. spicifer).

1.  The Java peafowl: The neck and chest are metallic golden-green, with sky-blue wing coverts. Females have prominent stripes on the back and tertials.

They are a population currently localized to the eastern and western reaches of Java, Indonesia. Extinct populations from the Malay Peninsula, from the Kra Isthmus south to Kedah, have also been described as similar to the Javanese group. However, this assumption has not been validated by any published research.

2. The Indo-Chinese peafowl: This subspecies is the most common, found in Indochina, Yunnan Province, China, and eastern Myanmar. It is currently limited to the Huai Kha Khaeng and Mae Klong basins in western Thailand and the Nan, Yom, Ing, and Ping river basins in northern Thailand. Its last substantial population in Vietnam is limited to the southeast, in Yok Don National Park and Cat Tien National Park, and it is extinct in the country’s north.

3. The Burmese peafowl: It has a pale metallic blue to olive green neck and breast, with more black on the wing coverts and outer web of secondary feathers. The male’s crown is violet-blue, often extending further down the nape than in other subspecies.

This species is found from Bangladesh to southwestern Thailand and was formerly also present in northern Malaysia. A population of this species has been reintroduced to Hlauga National Park east of the Irrawaddy River.

Threats facing the green peafowl are

1. Extensive deforestation results in the loss of habitat.
2. The pet trade, feather collectors, and hunters for their meat.

3. Congo Peafowl

The Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis) is restricted to the central Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The male is blue-black below and has a white crest, while the female has russet underparts and a crest.

The male peafowl is a large bird of up to 64–70 cm in length. The female measures up to 60–63 centimeters in length.

The Congo peafowl’s diet consists mainly of fruits and insects.

According to the IUCN Red List, the Congo peafowl is considered Near Threatened.

Threats

In general, there are several threats facing peacocks, including:

1. Water and soil pollution,
2. Deforestation and agricultural areas,
3. Habitat loss,
4. Hunting.

Sources

• Peacocks
• Are peacocks endangered?
• Indian Peafowl
• Green peafowl
• ebird.org

©Eman Abdallah Kamel, 2025

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