Asiatic peafowl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peafowl
Indian blue peacock
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae
Genus:	Pavo Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Pavo cristatus Pavo muticus

Green peacock

Peafowl are amazing birds famous for their beautiful, colorful feathers. They belong to a group of birds called pheasants. Peafowl originally come from Southeast Asia.

The male peafowl is called a peacock. The female is known as a peahen.

Discover Peafowl: Amazing Birds

Peafowl are a type of bird in the Pavo genus. This means they are closely related. They are part of the Phasianidae family, which also includes pheasants and chickens.

Types of Peafowl Species

There are two main types of peafowl found in Asia:

• Genus Pavo
  • Blue peafowl or Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus):
    • These peafowl are originally from India and Pakistan.
    • In Pakistan, the Indian peafowl is a special bird for the Punjab province.
  • Green peafowl (Pavo muticus):
    • Green peafowl used to live across a very wide area in Southeast Asia. This included places like northern Myanmar, southern China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, peninsular Malaysia, and the islands of Java.
    • Sadly, their homes have been destroyed and they have been hunted. This has made their living areas much smaller.

Peacocks and Peahens: What's the Difference?

Peacocks (males) are very colorful. They have long, amazing train feathers (also called tail feathers). They can move these feathers up to create a giant, beautiful fan.

Peahens (females) are not as colorful as peacocks. They also do not have the long train feathers. Both male and female peafowl have a small "crown" of feathers on their heads.

Peacocks show off their train feathers to attract a peahen. They also use their feathers to scare away other animals that might be a threat.

What Do Peafowl Eat?

Peafowl are omnivores. This means they eat both plants and animals. Their diet includes:

• Parts of plants
• Flower petals
• Seeds
• Insects
• Small vertebrates, like reptiles and amphibians

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  A male green peafowl fanning his train feathers.

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  A female blue peafowl.

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  A blue peacock courting a blue peahen.

Peacock in the Woods - 1907, painting by Abbott Handerson Thayer. Thayer suggested that the function of the ornate tail was camouflage