Indian Blue Peacock

Pavo cristatus

These beautiful birds are native to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.  The male peafowl is called a peacock while the female is called a peahen.  A group of peafowl is called an ostentation or a muster.  In the wild, they live in deciduous tropical forests and they do not migrate.  Because of their wonderful appearance, the peacock has long been famous outside of its native country India.  Phoenicians brought peacocks to Egypt more than 3000 years ago.

Their diet consists of seeds, grain, fruit, other plant material, and some small animals like mice, insects and snakes.  Their shallow nests are made of sticks, leaves and grass and usually located in the undergrowth of the forest.  Peachicks are not fully grown before 8 or 10 months of age.