Mary Allen
Peacocks are a species of bird. They are closely related to chickens. The best known is the blue peacock, which originally comes from India and its neighboring countries. The green peacock lives a little further east: from Bangladesh to Malaysia.
The male is also the rooster of the peacock. He has an extended tail called a train. It consists of about 150 feathers, each with an “eye”. With this, the peacock wants to drive away enemies and impress the females when he does the cartwheel. The females are the hens. They wear only restrained colors. The advantage: They are less conspicuous and are therefore better protected when their eggs hatch.
Peacocks eat everything that chickens eat: grains, herbs, worms, but also small snakes. In the countries of origin, there are a few fewer peacocks than before, but they are not endangered. Their biggest enemies are tigers and leopards.
As early as 4000 years ago, people brought peacocks to the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. They ate peacock meat. The animals were also kept as ornaments in parks. Because they don’t run away, it’s pretty easy. Peacocks can fly, but not far. You can feed them chicken or goose feed.
A peacock family consists of a rooster, several hens, and the young. After mating, the hens build a nest, preferably at the edge of a forest with dense bushes. They lay four to six eggs. The hens incubate the eggs on their own. That takes about four weeks. After a month, the chicks get their crown. At the age of three, the males get their bright plumage. But they are sexually mature a little earlier.