We are happy to announce yet another new arrival as, on July 17, an Indian peafowl hatched after 28 days of incubation. Yet to be sexed, the little chick is housed with its mother behind the scenes but, given how it is thriving, it will soon be exhibited.
A member of the family Phasianidae, the Indian peafowl, also known as common or blue peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is native to forests on the Indian subcontinent and Srí Lanka. It is best known for the males’ large and flamboyant train of some 200 upper-tail covert feathers, which they start brandishing around the age of 2 or 3 in order to impress the much humbler looking brown-and-white females. Due to its great beauty and the colorful eyespots on its train feathers, it is considered a sacred animal in the Hindu tradition and has been a national symbol of India for almost 50 years. It was introduced in Europe by Alexander the Great and is now a widespread ornamental and domestic bird all around the world.
Although protected by both law and cultural tradition in their natural range and populations are still fairly large, poaching for meat is an ongoing issue, so Indian peafowl are included in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Besides blue peafowl, we are also home to white peafowl, a naturally occurring color mutation of the same species.
Like a number of our other residents, our peafowl hatchling is yet to be adopted. If you want to make it really happy while also offering us tremendous help, please consider becoming a zoo foster parent. Further info at:
Debrecen Zoo and Amusement Park
