Not really a tail
The train is made of feathers that grow from his back. The real tail is underneath, propping it up.
Asian jungle
Indian peafowl
Pavo cristatus
A blue-necked bird with a little crown. The male trails a huge train of green feathers, each ending in an eye.
- Size
- Body 1m, plus a train up to 1.5m
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Forests and farmland of India and Sri Lanka
Struts after you, and shakes his train. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Peacock
Good to know
Six things about the peacock
A hundred eyes
A full train has about 150 eye-spots. Peahens seem to prefer the males with the most.
Peacock and peahen
Only the male is a peacock. The female is a peahen, and together they are peafowl.
Grown fresh each year
He sheds the whole train after the breeding season and grows a new one.
A loud scream
The call is a loud, wailing scream, heard most before the monsoon rains.
Yes, they can fly
Even with a full train, a peacock can fly up into a tree to roost for the night.
The real thing
Photos of the peacock
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Peafowl are easy to see in India, often near villages. Listen for the wailing call at dawn and dusk.
How to help
Peafowl are common and protected in India, where the peacock is the national bird. In Britain, they do best where they have room to roam.
Keep going