Common peafowl
Pavo cristatus
Peafowl are members of the pheasant family. Male peafowl are called peacocks and females are known as peahens.
Peacocks have striking iridescent colours of blue, green and gold. The hugely impressive tail is displayed to females during courtship. The female's feathers are far less striking, providing camouflage as the female sits on eggs. Peafowl have a range of different calls. Some people compare the peafowl’s call to the sound of a human crying for help.
Female peafowl are around 86 centimetres long and weigh around 3.4 kilograms. Males are around 200cm long in full breeding plumage. They are 107cm when their plumage is retracted. They weigh around five kilograms.
Belfast Zoo’s peafowl are free-roaming and can be seen anywhere in the zoo so keep an eye out for them, but please do not try to touch them!
IUCN Status
The IUCN status of the common peafowl is least concern.
For more info on classifications visit www.iucnredlist.org (link opens in new window).
Animal class
Bird
Conservation status
The IUCN does not believe that the common peafowl is in any danger of extinction.
Habitat
Forest and grasslands
Population
Exact population figures are not known for the common peafowl.
Diet
Omnivores. Common or Indian peafowl are omnivorous and eat plant material, seeds, insects, amphibians and reptiles.