Most people call them peacocks, but that’s only the...

[The Librarian]

Most people call them peacocks, but that’s only the correct name for male of this type of bird. Females are called peahens, and the whole group are peafowl. There are three types of peafowl in the world: Indian, green, and Congo. Most people are familiar with the Indian peafowl, since that is the kind found in many zoos and parks. Indian peafowl live in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, green peafowl are found in Southeast Asia, and Congo peafowl are from central Africa.
The Indian peacock has some of the brightest feathers, but the peahen is a drab, mottled brown in comparison. The male needs his bright feathers to attract a mate, and the female needs to be able to blend in with the bushes so that predators cannot see her while she is incubating her eggs. A group of peafowl is called a “party” or a “pride”! The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India and is protected in that country. This is a picture of a male. Who would have thought there were so many colors of these birds.

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