Who has not heard or seen this amazing bird with a chic tail? Today you will not find a zoo that does not contain these birds. But where do peacocks live in nature? What conditions do they need and what do they eat?
Habitat
The peacock belongs to the family of pheasants and belongs to the order of chicken. Therefore, it is also called the big chicken. And yet, where do the peacocks live? It is known that the main habitat of peacocks is India and Sri Lanka. It was here that the first peacock was discovered for the first time, or, as it is also called, Indian. This species is the most common today - it can be observed in almost all zoos in the world.
Another species of peacocks lives on the island of Java, the Peninsula of Malacca and in Indochina. This species is called gigantic or javanese. It is much larger than ordinary and has a brighter color. I must say that there are about 50 species of peacocks. They are all different in size, but the males have a magnificent tail, which relates them to this species.
Distribution history
For the first time this amazing bird was seen by the Dutch, who reached the islands in the Pacific Ocean. Arriving back, they told an amazing story about a bird of paradise with a magnificent tail. Naturally, these stories caused a lot of questions. Where do peacocks live? In which country can they be seen? Following the discoverers of India, traders followed and brought extraordinary birds. Interestingly, the first mention of these creatures is found in ancient scrolls, including the Bible.
These birds adorned the magnificent palaces of the powerful rulers of Ancient Egypt, Rome and India, and were also the pride of the richest and wisest king in the history of mankind - Solomon. Peacocks came to Europe during the time of Alexander the Great, famous for his aggressive campaigns in the countries where peacocks live.
Structural features
Peacocks are very large birds: their size with a tail is up to 2.5 meters. Although it is necessary to clarify that the bird's body does not exceed one meter, and the tail is only 40-50 centimeters in length. But the magnificent feathers located above the tail make up the main length of the bird because they reach a size of 160 centimeters.
In the Indian peacock, the main color of the plumage of the head, neck and chest is bright blue. The back of the bird is beautiful green with tints of color, and the bottom is black. This coloring is especially important for attracting females because the peacock's voice is terrible, like that of a raven. But the magnificent supra-feathers look chic - long, bright, decorated with an ornament that looks like a lot of eyes. Interestingly, they serve not only to attract females, but also to protect against predators, and modern science knows that this is one of the ways to communicate.
Food
Initially brought to Europe, they were simply kept in cells at first, but other issues arose with the development of zoos. How to tell people what kind of bird - a peacock? Where does he live? What does it eat? The answer required learning more about their natural habitat. It is interesting that, having arrived in India, peacocks were discovered at an altitude of up to 2000 meters above sea level. Their favorite places were bushes overgrown with villages and cultivated fields. This spoke of the way they were fed: they ate grains on nearby fields.
They also ate berry bushes growing nearby. The bird does not shun to eat small rodents, as well as small snakes. The only condition for peacocks to live nearby is the presence of a nearby reservoir and free-standing tall trees. India is replete with such places and this is the best place for birds. In addition, Indians believe in the sanctity of this bird and allow it to eat from their fields. What is interesting is that where the peacock bird lives, there are fewer snakes and this helps the people living in the neighborhood.
Breeding
In the case of the reproduction of their own kind, peacocks are like chickens - up to 5 females per male. The breeding season of these birds coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. Therefore, in the areas where peacocks live, people consider them harbingers of rain. During the breeding season, the male spreads its colorful tail, feeds it forward and begins the mating dance. Thus, he attracts the attention of the female, and it is her who remains the choice of the partner - whose dance will most impress, so she will be.
The female does not build nests, but lays eggs directly on the ground. The hole usually contains up to 10 eggs. I must say that Pava is a very dedicated mother, she will protect her offspring to death. Unlike females, males at the sight of danger flee, warning with a loud cry of their counterparts. Chicks are born gray and up to 1.5 years old males practically do not differ from females. Peacocks reach maturity at the age of 4 years, then males have their magnificent plumage.
I must say that for a long time peacocks were bred not only for beauty, but also consumed as food. The meat of this bird on the table was considered the top of wealth and served only in special cases.