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More About Peacocks ...
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The peafowl are the three species of bird in the genera Pavo and Afropavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are most notable for the male's extravagant tail, a result of sexual selection, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen.
The male (peacock) has beautiful iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage. His tail feathers have a series of eyes that are best seen when the tail is fanned. Both species have a head crest.
The female (peahen) has a mixture of dull green, brown and grey in her plumage. She lacks the long tail of the male, but has a crest.
Many of the brilliant colors of the peacock plumage are due to an optical interference phenomenon (Bragg reflection) based on (nearly) periodic nanostructures found in the barbules (fiber-like components) of the feathers.
Different colors correspond to different length scales of the periodic structures. For brown feathers, a mixture of red and blue is required?one color is created by the periodic structure, while the other is a created by a Fabry-Perot interference peak from reflections off the outermost and innermost boundaries of the periodic structure.
Such interference-based structural color is especially important in producing the peacock's iridescent hues (which shimmer and change with viewing angle), since interference effects depend upon the angle of light, unlike chemical pigments.
In captivity, the peafowl has produced many plumage color variations. Those are mutations that have been secured by selective breeding. They included: white bodied, barred winged, white eyed, pied, cameo, charcoal, bronze, opal, peach, midnight, purple, and any combination of these variations
The Indian Peafowl is native to India and Sri Lanka. The Green Peafowl breeds from Myanmar east to Java. The IUCN lists the Green Peafowl as vulnerable to extinction due to hunting and a reduction in extent and quality of habitat. The two Pavo species will hybridize.
The peafowl are forest birds which nest on the ground. They eat mainly seeds, but also some insects and fruit. The Pavo peafowl are terrestrial feeders, but roost in trees. They are reluctant fliers other than to access their roosts
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Peacocks
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INFO LINKS
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Peafowl
Honolulu Zoo
Peafowl Read More
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Green Peafowl
Yunnan Animal Museum
About Green Peafowl Read More
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Indian Peafowl
Wildwnc.org
Information on habits, history, description, etc. "Although peafowl are large, powerful birds, they are somewhat weak fliers and spend much of their time on the ground looking for food or perching". Read More
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Peacock
National Geographic
Peacock fact sheet and pictures; video clip Read More
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Palawan Peacock Pheasant
Honolulu Zoo
Information on physical characterestics, distribution and habitat, behavior, diet, breeding and nesting, status, etc. "It is considered to be the most beautiful of the peacock species". Read More
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Peafowl organization
UPA
An international association of men and women who have an interest in pursuing and promoting the avocation of raising peafowl Read More
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Indian Peafowl
National Zoo
Indian Peafowl fact sheet Read More
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Green Peafowl
gbwf.net
"Unlike the India Blue, the hen of this species is similar to the male". Information on range, habitat, description, etc. Read More
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Peacock
Peafowl.com
Tons of inofrmation Read More
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Peacock
FeatherSite
Pictures and brief descriptions of various breeds of peacock Read More
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Peacock
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Blue Indian Peafowl
cyborganic.com
"In 1963 the peacock was declared the National Bird of India because of it's rich religious and legendary involvement in Indian traditions.". Read More
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