Peacock Facts

About the peacock

Three species count as peafowl. The blue or Indian peafowl comes from the Indian subcontinent, the green peafowl from Southeast Asia, and the Congo peafowl lives only in Africa's Congo Basin. Strictly speaking, peacock means the male and peahen the female, but most people use peacock for both. The two Asian species have the showiest males, with a long train of covert feathers marked by eyespots.

Males fan that train out during courtship. Why they evolved such a flashy display has sparked plenty of scientific argument. Charles Darwin thought the colors and feathers helped win over females, a process called sexual selection. Later, Amotz Zahavi argued the feathers act as an honest signal of health, since a weak male would struggle to survive while hauling around something so big and easy to spot.

Did you know?

• Female peafowl are called peahens, while only the males are properly called peacocks.
• The Congo peafowl is found nowhere except the Congo Basin.
• The famous peacock tail is technically a train of covert feathers, not the true tail.