What is the name of the female peacock. Common peacock (Indian)

Peacocks are proud beautiful birds that boast luxurious plumage. Children are very fond of looking at them in zoos, and, probably, every child will be interested to know why the female peacock is so strikingly different from the male. And other people who are interested in ornithology will be interested in this question. Which of them - females or males of a peacock - is more beautiful?

Appearance of birds

Not everyone knows the name of the female peacock, but everyone knows the saying "Performs like a peacock." By this she is meant. Since ancient times, people have noticed that a peacock is an important, graceful bird, moves with dignity, slowly, which is why such associations appeared.

How to distinguish a female from a male? Surprisingly, this magnificent handsome "girlfriend" has a dull and modest color. She does not have a beautiful and long tail, not such a bright plumage, it does not shimmer with a variety of shades. The only thing is that on the neck, taking into account the breed, a blue or green area stands out. The crest is also not so pronounced, it has a brown color, unlike the male, who has a crown of multi-colored feathers on his head.

The tail of a peacock and a peahen is, by and large, the same, the difference lies only in the beautiful and long cascading feathers of the male above the tail. They are characterized by bright colors and are decorated with "eyes" of different colors.

But the fact that females are ugly cannot be said. Although their beauty is not striking, they are quite cute. Bright big eyes and a graceful little head also attract attention.

And the peahens do not need magnificent plumage, nature took care of them, since the task of the female is to build a nest, raise chicks, protecting them from predators. Therefore, the color of the feathers must merge with the grass and shrubs. Modest coloring allows you to hide when hatching eggs.

Gallery: peacocks (25 photos)

Popular types of pav

African

Congolese peacock- quite rare, and not many people know about its existence. The birds are small, rather secretive and cautious, preferring to nest in places that are hard to reach for people. African peacock females have small spurs on their legs. The head has little to no feathers, and the skin is brown or grey-brown in color. The plumage of the neck is bright red.

The head is decorated with a crest of feathers of green-brown, brown or chestnut color. The tail feathers are usually black. The plumage of the wings and back of all shades of green, from emerald green to dark, almost black. Each feather has longitudinal brown stripes and a dark edging. Pava plumage is characterized by a rich metallic sheen. The length of the body is not more than 50 centimeters.

The male Congolese peacock differs from his relatives in that he does not have such a bright and catchy appearance and does not grow the famous tail feathers. The paws are decorated with sharp and long spurs. The plumage of the male is rather modest and very similar to that of the female. The crest is golden green, golden brown, dark gray or chocolate. The head has no feathers, and the skin is usually greenish-brown or dark brown. The tail feathers are black with a bronze sheen. Body length with tail - no more than a meter.

Javanese

female Javan peacock very similar in appearance to the male. But it is smaller, and it does not have beautiful rump feathers. The plumage of the head and neck is green-brown; in the sun, some feathers shimmer with gold. The crest is usually the same shade. The area around the eyes is gray, greyish blue or blue. The feathers at the bottom of the neck are painted in rich green. They have a greenish border with a pattern that resembles scales. The chest and part of the back is bluish-green above with a large number of yellow and red spots. Feathers in the tail section have a beautiful bronze-copper hue. The beak is usually black, and the color of the legs is gray.

The male Javanese peacock is distinguished by its beauty and long, sometimes up to 2 meters, upper tail feathers. The feather pattern and plumage color is similar to the plumage of the female, but all colors are much richer and brighter, with a characteristic golden hue. By the beginning of the mating season, peacocks grow long tail feathers, they are often confused with the tail. Feathers consist of silky long hairs that are painted in bright green in various shades - from turquoise to black-green, yellow-green and even bluish-green. The feathers end in a kind of fan with a pattern that resembles an eye.

Ordinary

The common peahen is slightly smaller than the male. The length of the body is not more than one meter. The natural color is dark brown, the bottom of the neck is dark blue or dark green, the feathers have a black border. The head is decorated with a crest of gray-brown, golden brown, dark brown or gray feathers.

One of the natural colors of the common peacock is white. This color is a consequence of the autosomal W gene. Birds have even snow-white plumage without any multi-colored blotches. Blue eyes. The female white peacock has the same plumage color as the males.

In addition to wild, that is, white and natural, coloring, they also emit eight options for the plumage of ordinary peacocks:

• cameo;
• black or coal;
• peach;
• bronze or Buford color;
• opal;
• purple;
• green-yellow;
• smoky or midnight.

The males of the common peacock are quite beautiful in their natural wild coloration: the plumage of the breast, neck, head is a rich blue color, which has a purple sheen in the sun. Feathers on the back are emerald green, dark green or blue-green. Below the body is painted in dark shades - dark blue, black, dark chocolate. The crest consists of purple, green or blue feathers. Tail feathers are usually brown.

Each of the primary plumage colors has up to 20 varieties. The females of the multicolored forms of the peacock have the same coloration as the males, but in a more modest form. This is explained by the fact that all these color forms are artificially bred, and females do not need to beware of predators during breeding.

By crossing within the peacock species, breeders have been able to create a large number of color variations. The colors of the bird are varied, and it is impossible to guess what color will turn out during the experiment. By the way, the result is not always successful, because peacock connoisseurs prefer natural colors.

reproduction

Peacocks are sexually mature, over the age of three. The breeding season starts in May and lasts until August. The mating season is different from that of many other birds. Peacocks begin to arrange beautiful mating dances. The male, trying to win attention, spreads his beautiful tail from time to time. Flaunting in front of the females him and beautiful plumage, he begins to put on airs. In the mating season, the birds become aggressive, so they are placed in a separate aviary.

Many people ask why a peacock has such a bright and big tail? In fact, the peahens look at him little. They pay more attention to the ground. The male spreads his tail from time to time, trembling with it. After that, he turns away and waits for the pava to become interested in his courtship.

One peahen can lay 4-15 eggs at a time. Chicks are born 25-30 days after incubation of eggs. Females in captivity can breed offspring up to three times a year. The chick's body is covered with gray fluff. This color lasts up to three years. After that, feathers with beautiful patches begin to appear. Chicks develop much faster than other bird species. After 7-10 days, the babies show themselves very actively and are already starting to fly. But the female takes care of the offspring for a long time. In order for the young to grow quickly and fully develop, they need a sufficient amount of water and a large amount of feed.

Chicks are given the same food as adult peacocks. Other foods should be added to their food:

Until the chicks reach the age of 6 months, they need to be given drugs for coccidiosis, as well as vitamin supplements.

Peacocks create families, one male can have up to 5 pav. The girls get along great together and are non-conflict. But males, especially in the mating season, can be aggressive and will not let a competitor into their territory.

Pava begins to lay eggs from April to September, under favorable conditions it can make three clutches. The female builds a nest in a secluded place. As a rule, this is a simple design - a small depression in the ground, which is lined with grass. The peahen pulls out the fluff from the stomach and chest, carefully lining the nest for them. The chicks will hatch in a month. You can easily distinguish their gender after three weeks: males grow faster, therefore they will be much larger.

The female is ready for reproduction already in the second year of life., in contrast to males, in which maturity occurs at the age of 3 years.

The cry of peacocks is peculiar and absolutely does not fit with the appearance of the bird. They call quite loudly - when alarmed or before rain. The sounds are non-melodious and harsh, people say that "the cry of a peacock is worse than the screams of cats."

Content Features

Peacocks are often bred to decorate plots and estates.. They are fairly easy to maintain and do not require much maintenance. Birds quickly become attached to a person, recognize the owner and do not fly away from their place of residence. However, the enclosure must be spacious so that a large family can move freely, and the male could not damage his magnificent tail feathers. You need enough space to run.

As a rule, the family consists of three females and one male, but it happens that in captivity he prefers one of the peahens, leaving the rest without attention. This situation in the natural environment is impossible.

In order for a bird to breed safely in captivity, it is necessary to arrange certain conditions:

• first of all, it is a complete and high-quality food;
• they do not make up a pair of closely related individuals, otherwise do not wait for offspring;
• in the natural environment, the peahen is an excellent mother, but sometimes in the aviary she forgets about her duties, refuses to take care of the chicks. But if she sat down to incubate, then up to 12 eggs can be put under her;
• if the female continues to patronize the offspring, then she will need good conditions and help, since the chicks are quite demanding to care for;
• if the female does not want to sit, then the eggs are laid under the turkeys or chickens, they will be good mothers for the chicks;
• males from 8 months are transplanted into separate enclosures so that they do not fight, otherwise they can damage each other when sorting out the relationship.

Can you eat peacocks

In medieval times, peacocks were consumed as food. At the royal table and among wealthy nobles, these birds were present both for display of wealth and for culinary use.

Can you eat peacocks today? The unequivocal answer is yes. Their meat is aromatic and tasty. But only one restaurant in the world now boasts peacock meat on its menu, and it is located in London.

The extraordinary external beauty of the "birds of paradise" has always been the feature that from ancient times forced rich people to make them residents of their gardens and homestead territories. Counts and kings, emperors and sultans took pleasure in exotic birds and, spreading their magnificent feathers, important peacocks walked along the paths of the parks.

Peacocks in eastern countries are a symbol of wealth and immortality, and in India they have the status of a sacred bird. Today they can be seen in almost any zoo in the world and in some parks. Private owners like to keep them in estates. for beauty and unpretentiousness in care.

Attention, only TODAY!

The first thing that, of course, attracts our attention in peacocks is a large and very bright tail. However, it is worth noting that only males have such an ornament, while the female peacock has a grayish-brown plumage. Let's talk about the differences between these birds of paradise in more detail.

Many of us are familiar with the expression "Walks like a peacock", but few people think that this name means a female peacock. Yes, indeed, if you watch these birds for a long time, then we will make sure that they are very graceful, calm and even a little slow. By the way, the peacock is the largest bird species among chickens. And also the most beautiful. Therefore, if someone tells you that you are a pava, do not be offended. This is a wonderful compliment! Appreciate their beauty in the photo.

Like chickens, the female peacock is very different in beauty from the male. The first is that she does not have a beautiful multi-colored plumage on her tail, the second is a duller and more uniform color. So, for example, females of the most common type of peacocks - ordinary blue, have a uniform grayish plumage, while males flaunt with colors. The head and neck of the males are painted bright blue, the back shimmers with green and golden feathers, and the ends of the wings are orange. The only thing that is present in both sexes is a beautiful crest on the head in the form of a small crown. Only in females it also has a gray-brown color, and in males it is blue.

However, it cannot be said that the females are less beautiful, they are also very cute and attractive, as seen in the photo. For example, the same common blue species has a shiny upper back and chest, and a beautiful combination of colors on the head and neck. In the black-winged species, the peahen has a yellowish-brown plumage on the upper body. But you can talk about white peacocks for a very long time. This is a special species, which is distinguished by its extraordinary beauty.

It is known that the tail of the male is a kind of attraction of girlfriends. Many people know that he fluffs it up and waves it in order to draw the attention of the female. But as it turns out, in fact, peahens do not really pay attention to the feathers of their tail. Such a statement was recently made by American scientists from Duke University in Durham. After conducting several studies and observations of these birds, they learned that the females are attracted by an exceptionally bright color, and then at a great distance.

When meeting, the peahens do not look at the beauty of the tail, but evaluate the lower part of the male. It is assumed that birds use it to determine the age of their partner. But the bright tail is a guarantee that in the thick grass the pavilion she likes will consider and notice the male.

In this video, you can take a closer look at these birds in detail, as well as see how the female differs and what plumage they have.

Beautiful and intriguing Javanese peacock

The national symbol of India or just a sacred bird is the White Peacock

Incredibly beautiful and most popular breeds of pheasants

Do you need advice?

Hah, why was it necessary to write a whole article on how to distinguish a male from a female in peacocks. Here it is clear even to a fool that if a bird has a large and magnificent tail - a male, if it does not exist - a female. But the interesting facts really turned out to be interesting, for this special thanks to the author!

Hmm, I didn’t think that such a beautiful tail might not attract a female. Oh, these scientists are always coming up with something new. Thanks to the author for the unique information!

Is the cloacal way of distinguishing individuals for peacocks also applicable?

The only drawback of the beautiful peacock is its unmelodious and harsh voice, reminiscent of the creak of an unoiled cart or the cry of a cat whose tail has been stepped on. Therefore, during the mating dance, the male is mostly silent, since his unusual “serenade” can scare away his beloved. Usually they are especially vociferous before the rain.

The answer to the question, females or males of a peacock is more beautiful, will be obvious to those whose knowledge about this bird is not limited to the idea that this is a paradise creature with fabulous plumage. At the same time, some have no idea that in peacocks such feathers are inherent only to males.

The answer to the question, female or male peacocks are more beautiful, will be obvious to those whose knowledge about this bird is not limited to

The aesthetic side of the issue in the animal world, including birds, differs from the human world. And in fact: if people refer women to the fair sex, then the situation is reversed for peacocks and many other bird species. Nature decreed that in peacocks, the male is outwardly more beautiful.

To find out why it happened so, it will certainly be interesting to everyone. To understand this, you need to figure out what kind of plumage a peacock and a peahen actually have (this is the term used to denote a female bird of this species).

How a male peacock takes care of a female (video)

Appearance of birds

In nature, there are peacocks that have a wide variety of colors, including white.. However, a more obvious example would be the Indian species. It is considered the most common. You can understand what peacocks look like by considering the Indian variety of birds, which is not much different from others.

As already noted, the male peacock is a typical representative of the genus of those birds that win the attention of the female with the brightness of their color. He really has a plumage of extraordinary, fabulous beauty. On the head, in the chest and neck area, it is distinguished by a bright blue color. On the back of a peacock, the feathers have a green tint. The underside of the body is black. And the ends of the wings of the male have a red tint. A crest rises on a small head, outwardly resembling a crown.

Peacocks belong to the chicken family, as they are descended from wild chickens and pheasants. Peacocks are considered the most amazing birds on earth. Their size is much larger than that of other birds from this family. Males and females differ from each other in the color of feathers, the shape of the tail.

The female peacock is painted in a uniform grayish-brown color. Her head is crowned with a brown tuft, matching the plumage. The male lives surrounded by 3-5 females. At two or three years old, he is already able to participate in reproduction. From April to September, the laying of eggs by the female takes place. At one time, she lays four to ten eggs on the ground.

If a female peacock is in captivity, then she breeds up to three times a season. Eggs develop within twenty-eight days. If a male peacock is born, then his outfit, like that of a female, is of unremarkable grayish colors. Closer to the age of three, he has feathers topped with a colorful "eye".

The neck of the female is greenish, the belly is white. Males are brightly colored all over the body in order to seek the location of the female. She, in turn, is called upon to breed, incubate eggs, so her bright plumage would only interfere with her to perform this function, and predators would quickly find and destroy her and future offspring in the thickets. After the birth of the babies, the female takes care of them for a long time.

In size, females are smaller than peacocks. These birds feed on grain. To keep peacocks in the zoo, you need to include meat and mineral feed in their diet. Birds are cautious about new dishes - they look closely, think, and only then eat. In winter, animals should have enhanced nutrition. Once the female has laid the eggs, they are usually collected. The best babysitters for peacocks are turkeys and chickens. But the peacocks themselves are able to take care of their offspring.

During the mating season, males try to show themselves in all their glory - they are aggressive, therefore they are kept in enclosures, separately from other individuals. Nesting houses are being built for females, so that it would be easier for them to incubate eggs not in front of zoo visitors. Peacocks are very capricious birds in terms of arranging their enclosure, so they love comfort and space.

Peacock ripens (that's what the female peacock is called!) To the conclusion of offspring only in the second year of life. If there is a desire to grow peacocks on your own, you need to consider all the nuances. Peacocks have a hard time delivering to their destination. They are very attached to the person who feeds them, puts things in order in the aviary. The suburban area, subject to regular walking, the birds will never leave. In the cold season, they need to build shelters from wind, rain, snow and other bad weather.

Wild peacocks live only in India and Sri Lanka. Settle in forests, thickets of shrubs. These birds do not like dense jungles or open areas of land. Despite the magnificent tail, the male easily walks between the branches of the bush. When he wants to attract the attention of a peacock - that's another name for a female peacock - spreads his tail and trembles with it. If the female is interested, then the "groom" turns away and waits until she gives in to him.

As a result of research by zoologists, it was found that peahens look a little at the fluffy tail of a peacock. Their gaze rests longer on its base. Therefore, science is still incomprehensible - why then does the peacock have its famous tail?

The peacock is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, birds on the planet.

His appearance causes admiration and some amazement when it becomes known that we are talking about the closest relative of an ordinary chicken.

This bird is a mandatory resident of any zoo.

But all of the above applies to males, but we know much less about females.

Female peacock: what is the name and what does the bird look like

Pava, which is the name of the female peacock, looks less colorful than her husband. There are no bright colors in her coloring and she is devoid of a luxurious tail.
Of the decorations, only a semblance of a colorful necklace on the neck of blue or green color (depending on the breed) can be distinguished. In contrast to the bright crown that crowns the head of the male, the head of the female has only a modest dull crown.

However, one should not assume that the pava is ugly, it is simply not as bright as the male. Particularly beautiful are the large expressive pava eyes on a neat head. It will not be difficult to distinguish it from the male: dull color, lack of tail feathers, smaller sizes.

Did you know? In the countries of the East, peacocks are a symbol of immortality, splendor and pride. In oriental tales and legends, they are often referred to as messengers of the gods.

The common Indian peacock has a blue color with a tint. The neck and head are more pronounced blue, and the back has a green tint. The ends of the wings are painted orange. The body length of the bird reaches 1.2 m, and the length of the tail plumage is 1.6 m. The crest is blue.
The peahen is much smaller in size, there is no uppertail at all, the color of the feathers throughout the body is gray, the crest is brown. The neck of the pava is blue in color with a beautiful steel sheen.

There are two more varieties of Indian peacock - black or black-shouldered and white. Previously, they were isolated as a separate breed, but Charles Darwin proved that these are just color mutations.

The birds have no difference in the size of the body, and as for the color, the black peacock has a black wing. The female of such a peacock is painted beige, the area near the tail is slightly darker.

White peacocks are not albinos, although they have an amazing white color. Males have blue eyes, while females have blue eyes. We can say that the pava of a white peacock is a blue-eyed blonde.

Green

This species is noticeably larger than the Indian peacock. The male can be 2–3 m long. Beautiful tail feathers reach 1.65 m in length. The color of the bird cannot be called green in the literal sense of the word, it is rather blue with a pronounced green tint. There may be inclusions of a brown-red spectrum.
The color of females is about the same color, but they are smaller in size, they even have feathers, but much shorter. There is a crest on the peahen's head, but small and dull.

Important!Peacocks, when properly maintained and fed, can live up to 20 years in captivity. Females become sexually mature by the age of 3, by the same time the male tail feathers have fully grown.

The Congolese or African peacock is the only endemic of the pheasant subfamily living in Africa. The bird has not yet been domesticated, that is, as a result of many years of existence next to a person, it has not undergone any evolutionary changes.
The male reaches 65–70 cm in length, the female - 60–62 cm. The male is colored green with a bronze tint, the neck is black with a red throat, the head is black with a crest. The tail feathers have an eye similar to that of Indian relatives.

Pava is colored green with tint and light stripes. The neck is red, the head has no plumage, brown.

Pav lifestyle and habitat

Peacocks live in the same place as male peacocks, and eat, respectively, the same. But their way of life is different, depending on the species.

Indian (common peacock)

The bird is native to India and the island of Ceylon. There, they can still be found in the wild, although birds prefer to hide from humans. Their favorite habitat is thickets of bushes or sparse forest. You can meet these birds on various plantations, where they wander to eat cereals.
They live in packs, since one male needs several peahens. During the day they hide in shady thickets, and with the onset of evening they look for an overnight stay in the trees.

From the diet, cereals are most preferred for them. Since India is a rice country, it is easy to guess which cereal these birds have chosen the most. Although they can eat other grains, as well as greens, small vertebrates or insects.

Green

The species has become widespread in Indonesia (Java), Indochina, northern and eastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and some other parts of Southeast Asia.
The population of green peacocks is much smaller than that of the common peacock. Currently considered an endangered species, there are 16-32 thousand individuals left.

Quite often in nature, 8–10 females are content with one male. Peacocks of this species are not much different from Indian ones in terms of nutrition: they prefer the same grains, greens, etc. They choose forests for habitat, they can fly short distances, run quite quickly.

Did you know? There are 3 varieties of green peacock: Indochinese, Burmese and Javanese, the last of which in 1940 became the national symbol of Myanmar (formerly Burma).

It lives in the Congo basin in humid mountain forests. The species is monogamous. Nests prefer to equip in stumps, branches of trees. The peahen lays 2 to 4 eggs and sits on them. The male at this time takes care of her and protects the offspring. The incubation period is 25–27 days.

Features of reproduction and mating games

Birds reach sexual maturity by 3 years. At this time, peahens are ready for mating. Females for breeding are most suitable for the second half of spring and summer. In captivity, with the right content, each peahen is able to lay 6-12 eggs.

When the peahen is ready to mate, the male begins to show her his beautiful mating dance. It is believed that the female does not necessarily choose the most beautiful male. The dance of the peacock is a kind of sign showing that everything is in order with the male.

In order to finally convince the young lady, the male turns his back to her, demonstrating his dignity. If the peahen finds it suitable, the birds start mating.

Thus, the male needs a beautiful color to attract females, but the pave itself does not need it. Such a coloring would only harm her at the moment when she sits on her eggs, since bright plumage can attract predators.

4 weeks after laying eggs, chicks hatch, not at all like the beauties that they will become. Chicks develop much faster than their peers brought by other poultry. After 7-9 days, the chicks are already on the wing.
For normal development, they need proper feeding and fresh water. Young peacocks eat the same food as their parents, although at first it will be a good idea to introduce sour-milk products, eggs and oatmeal into their diet. Up to 6 months, it is desirable to give young animals vitamins and anti-coccidiosis agents.