Proud as a peacock at Montecasino Bird Park

Proud as a Peacock – the Indian Peacock.

I love peacocks right from a little girl growing up on the farm. They have a very distinctive call and have dramatic, shiny and exotic looking feathers. Whenever I see them or hear them cry I am reminded of my grandmother and her peacocks on her farm and in her gardens.

They are actually large pheasants (typically blue and green) and are renowned for their iridescent tails. These tail feathers, or coverts, spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird’s total body length and boast colorful "eye" markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues.

The large train is used in mating rituals and courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird's back and touches the ground on either side.

Of course the females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains. Sounds like the human world!!

The females nearby which was probably why he was strutting around!

“Peacock" is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes, however only the males are peacocks and the females are peahens. Grouped together they are known as peafowl.

Suitable males may gather harems of several females, each of which will lay three to five eggs and in the wild they will roost in forest trees and gather in groups known as parties. Tjoe they sound even more human now!

Peacocks are ground-feeders eating insects, plants, and small creatures. There are two familiar peacock species. The blue peacock lives in India and Sri Lanka, while the green peacock is found in Java and Myanmar (Burma). A more distinct and little-known species, the Congo peacock, inhabits African rain forests.

Peafowl such as the blue peacock have been admired by humans and kept as pets for thousands of years. Selective breeding has created some unusual color combinations, but wild birds are themselves bursting with vibrant hues. They are somewhat temperamental and therefore do not mix well with other domestic birds.

I dug around and found some interest cultural aspects to the beautiful peacock.The Ancient Greeks believed that the flesh of a peafowl did not decay after death and so it became a symbol of immortality. This symbolism was also adopted by the early Christians and this is why you will find many of the early Christian paintings and mosaics depicting the peacock.

The peacock is still used during the Easter season, especially in the east. The "eyes" found on the peacock's tail feathers symbolises the all-seeing Christian God and, in some interpretations the actual church itself. A peacock drinking from a vase is used as a symbol of a Christian believe of drinking from the waters of eternal life.