peacocks are male Peafowls, a type of pheasant that includes the female peahen. No matter the species of the peacocks, these colorful creature birds boast impressively sized and patterned feathers that they fan out for display purposes. It is an act of vanity, and the reason Why Peacock Spread Their Feathers is to attract a mate. This display of feathers is part of the courtship ritual.
Facts On Peacock
We have seen peacocks on nearby farms, in parks, and in zoos. The blue-green-colored feather is the main attraction of the peacocks. Peacocks are native to the Asian mainland, though their remarkable beauty has led them to all corners of the world. Given below, are some of the facts on peacocks.
- Only males have those long, beautiful feathers.
- Peacocks take almost three years to grow their tail feathers.
- Peacock tail feathers are shed regularly.
- The dramatic plumage is to attract the Peahen.
- The Crests on the head of the peacocks are actually important sensors.
- Their dramatic tails are the species’ default.
- All white peacocks are not albino.
- Most importantly, peacocks do have wonderful feathers but they cannot fly.
Reasons Why Peacocks Spread Their Feathers
Peacocks spread their feathers for the ritual of mating to attract the peahens. Peacocks usually produce certain kinds of sounds with the help of their feathers. They use different parts of their plumage to emit sounds to signal the peahens.
The mating season of the peacocks ranges generally between March to April.
If a peacock wants to mate, the sound produced by the peacock will be different from the sound produced every day for communication purposes. Peacocks are clever enough to emit sound and produce calls for attracting peahens.
The call is generally to make the others understand that they are sexually more active and stronger than others.
Peahens on the other hand have a unique sensing ability in their crests. It has been researched that the vibrations created by the tail of the peacock can be sensed by the crests of the peahens. In this way, Peacocks and peahens communicate to decide whether they wanted to mate or not.
There are other reasons too behind Peacocks spreading their feathers. The other reasons are:
- To show aggression.
- To get attention
- To valorize their strength and sexual power.
- To portray their health strength.
Why Does Peacock Dance In The Rain?
The phenomenon of seeing peacock dance in the rain is far from the modern idea. In fact, for centuries, people believed that peacocks tend to dance before the rain comes., essentially foretelling when a place might have a sudden shower.
However, cool it may sound, this concept of peacock’s dance before rain is now widely considered as superstition. The occurrence when it does is bizarre but there is no direct relation between rain and the peacock’s dance. There is no scientific proof discovered for this apparently prophetic ability.
The reason behind the peacock’s dance can be to attract a partner. By spreading the colorful feathers, peacocks do try to sexually attract their mate. But there is no link between rain and peacock’s dance.
Food Of Peacock
Peafowls are omnivores. So, they will eat both vegetation and meat. The food of Wild peacocks is:
- fruits,
- berries
- grains
- ants
- flower petals and plants.
Captive peafowl will also eat cat food, cheese, nuts, scrambled egg, cooked rice, and kitchen scraps which includes vegetable peels and many more. Peafowl needs to be fed a high-protein diet to maintain optimum health.
Lifespan Of Peacocks
Generally, Peacocks have a lifespan of 10 to 25 years. A peafowl can live up to the age of 20 years. The peacocks look more attractive when they reach the age of 5 or 6 years.
Peacocks are the male variety of peafowl and they are no exception to the strange mating ritual. It is no surprise that a bird with such a beautiful set of tail feathers would be interested in shaking them to attract a mate, once again proving that humans are not at all that different from our animal brethren. The main reason behind the spread of the feathers is to attract their mate.
Attracting A Mate
Every peacock has their own look, made of distinct colour patterns and “eyespots” scattered across the plumage, making the feather more attractive. When a male peacock courts a female, he spreads out his tail feathers to display his colors and eyespots. It is a sign that the peacock is ready to go for sexual intercourse and is looking for a partner.
Completely fanned out, the tail spreads behind the peacock in a full semicircle, though some peacocks have tails that are bigger than others. Ultimately, the size and the patterns of the tail help the female peacocks to choose whether or not they’ll mate with him.
How Females Choose
When the peahen observes a peacock spreading his feathers, she chooses whether he’s a suitable mate for her. Generally, the more eyespots and the bigger the tail, the better his chances are for procuring one or many mates.
Particularly “attractive” males may collect several loyal mates, all of which find the qualities of their tail irresistible.
The vastness of the tail feather also portrays that the male peacock is sexually more active and this is the reason why peacocks spread their feathers. Like much of nature, though, there are no sure things in peacock mating rituals, and even boasting too much of a tail can scare off potential mates.
Differences Between Peafowls, Peacocks, And Peahens
Firstly, it must be made clear that Peafowl is the correct name of the species while peacocks are the male and peahens are the females. It is just like the chickens, with hens being the females and the roosters being the male.
The main difference between Peafowls, peacocks, and peahens is being cleared as of now. It is very easy. The name of the species is Peafowls whereas the male is called peacocks who have beautiful, vast feathers, and the females are called peahens.
Where Do Peacocks Originate From?
Peacocks originate from the Asian mainland, but now they are seen in almost every park and zoo all across the world. Peacocks are the main point of attraction and their glamorous vast tail feathers are the reason behind their beauty.
Importance Of The Colour Of A Male Peacock
Peacocks are the males and the peahens are the females of the pheasant’s Peafowls. Peacocks have arguably the most colorful ornate plumage of any other bird.
Far from mere embellishments, the polychromatic feathers of the two common species of the peacock: the Indian peacock of India and Pakistan and the green peacock of Java and Myanmar, help the birds reproduce by attracting peahens that are comparably plain in their own appearance.
The peacocks spread their feathers to attract their mate. They also make a certain kind of noise using their feathers which is a call for mating.
Conclusion
We have covered a lot of things in this article. We have come to know about the differences between peafowls, peacocks, and peahens. Peacocks are more beautiful and have huge colorful tail feathers which makes them more attractive. The vast feathers help them to attract their mate during the mating season.
We also came to know the reason Why Peacock Spread Their Feathers. We have also come to know other facts about peacocks and their food habits, lifespans, and many more.
Recommend: