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Peafowl

Description:

Large, adults to 2.5'+ tall, long brightly colored green/blue neck, with grey/white breast feathers turning tawny brown under belly, has crown of 2-6 straight feathers at back of head that stand up vertically. Large brilliant tail feathers on male (during mating season only, then shed) used during courtship. They roost at night, and return to the same 3 or 4 roosts depending where they are when the day ends. These particular birds have a separate tree where they nest (on the ground), and are only seen there during that period. (almost 1 mile away from their normal "hunting" area). They have several cries which are very loud, a normal cry of "hey you!" and an alarm call which is more of a "HONK!"

Habitat:

Orchard, farmland, fields, riparian zones.

Notes:

These are feral peafowl as they are not a native species to california or north america. Both peafowl and guinea hens are used by some locals for everything from rattlesnakes to home security systems.
Will upload some HD video with calls when i can. Yes! I have a "real" camera now! whooot! (let the spottings begin) :)

1 Species ID Suggestions

KarenSaxton
KarenSaxton 12 years ago
Pavo cristatus


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4 Comments

Difficult to tell from these pictures, there are several species of Peafowl. These do not appear to be adult of either Indian or Green, were they juveniles and if so did you see any adults? The adult male Indian has a blue neck and breast and the female a white lower breast/belly. The Green m & f are mostly green except the flight feathers which are brown.

BareFeat
BareFeat 12 years ago

I dont question it, I usually wait for a few suggestions to make sure. :) Thanks for the help!

KarenSaxton
KarenSaxton 12 years ago

Fair enough, although the vast majority in domesticity are Indian

BareFeat
BareFeat 12 years ago

I cannot find enough documentation on the two species to +1 your suggestion myself. I will wait for more input from others in the know. One thing about them i didnt mention, the male does not get more then 3 or 4 of the long tail feathers. Like some of the birds we are all familiar with in captivity. Not sure if this is a feral adaptation of the bird or they are just young? ( we see them daily and have never spotted more then 3 long tail feathers on him)

BareFeat
Spotted by
BareFeat

California, USA

Spotted on Nov 29, 2011
Submitted on Nov 29, 2011

Spotted for Mission

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