Peakock and Peahen

Description:

This blue peafowl is native to South Asia but introduced and semi-feral in many other parts of the world. This peakock was enchanting his lady bird!

Habitat:

They were living free at Entebbe Wildlife Education Centre.

Notes:

In 1963, the peafowl was declared the national bird of India because of its rich religious and legendary involvement in Indian traditions. Legend says that the peafowl is able to charm snakes and addle their eggs! Male Indian peafowl are polygamous, mating with many females during a breeding season. The males establish breeding territories known as a lek. When time to breed, female wander through many male's territories, sometimes making repeated visits, before selecting a male. The males do not help to raise the young. LIFE SPAN: Approximately 20-24 years Although peafowl were once common in Bangladesh, now they may be extinct in that country. Because of its appearance, this bird was taken worldwide! Early seafarers decided to bring the peafowl to their homelands in other parts of the western world. This method seems to have saved the bird from complete extinction. Traders in the year 1000 B.C. introduced the birds to present-day Syria and the Egyptian pharaohs. Alexander the Great imported more of the birds into his Mediterranean domains and severely penalized anyone caught harming them. Peafowl were a status symbol through Roman times and the Middle Ages, ensuring their establishment and survival throughout Europe.