From Opus

Adult Male
Photo by Sumit
Sariska National Park, India

Alternative name: Common Peafowl

Pavo cristatus

[edit] Identification

Females are about 86 cm (34 in) long and weigh about 3.4 kg (7.4 lbs), while males average at about 2.12 m (7.3 ft) in full breeding plumage (107 cm/42 in when not) and weigh about 5 kg (11 lbs). Blue-green plumage. The female plumage is a mixture of dull green, grey and iridescent blue, with the greenish-grey predominating.

[edit] Distribution

East Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
A popular cagebird for centuries and therefore feral populations are found in different places in the world.

[edit] Taxonomy

Traditionally believed to be monotypic^[1]; but birds of Sri Lanka have been suggested as a second subspecies.

[edit] Habitat

Juvenile Male
Photo by Nora
Daylesford, Victoria, Australia

Dry semi-desert grasslands, scrub and deciduous forests.

[edit] Behaviour

It forages and nests on the ground but roosts on top of trees. 4-8 light brown eggs are laid, incubation is 28 days. The eggs are and are laid every other day usually in the afternoon. The male does not assist with the rearing, and is polygamous with up to six hens.
Diet is mainly seeds, but also some insects, fruits and reptiles.

[edit] References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist

• List of references

[edit] External Links