Indian Peafowl

India’s national bird

The Indian peafowl is a large ground-dwelling pheasant relative. The male, called a peacock, has an iridescent blue neck and a long train of elongated upper-tail feathers decorated with eye-like spots. The female, a peahen, is brown and cream with a greenish neck and no train. The species is native to India and Sri Lanka and is common around farms, temples and forest edges.

Calls, rattles and low rumbles

Peafowl are loud birds. Males give a piercing, repeated cry that can be heard from a long way off, often before the rains or when a predator is spotted. During display the male fans the train and shakes it, producing a dry rattling sound. Researchers have also described very low-frequency sounds produced during display that humans barely hear, which may be one more way the male signals to females nearby.

Display, roosting and survival

Males gather in loose display grounds during the breeding season and compete for attention. At night the birds roost high in trees to avoid predators such as leopards and jackals. Because peafowl are protected by cultural tradition and law in much of India, they tolerate people well, though habitat loss, poisoning from treated seed and feral dogs remain local concerns.

Further reading: The Loudest Animals on Earth and Why They Are So Loud

Conservation status follows the IUCN Red List as we understand it at the time of writing. Assessments are revised regularly, so please check the IUCN Red List for the current listing.