The White Peacock

Beautiful feathers

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Just some pictures of feathers that I find very beautiful.

The Peacock Constellation

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Name: The Peacock

Scientific Name: Pavo

Observed in: The Southern Hemisphere

Constituent nebulae, star clusters, fixed stars: Peacock (Alpha star)/NGC6752 (Globular cluster).
Best season for observation: Fall (20:00 meridian:early September)

This constellation was named after the spectacularly plumaged peacock. It was first presented to us by German, Johann Bayer, in the beginning of the 17th century. The brightest second-magnitude star 'Peacock' forms the head of 'The Peacock'.
Pavo got its name peacock from a greek legend. There was once a giant with 100 eyes named Argus. When Argus was killed by Heremes, Hera put Argus's many eyes on the tail of her peacock. Now the stars on Pavo represent Argus's many eyes.
In Australia, part of Pavo is sometimes called "the Saucepan" when it is used as a guide to finding the south by the stars.

How to find the Peacock Constellation

Sources: Crystalinks, Wikipedia

Peacock Car

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White Peacock Painting

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From Detjen's Gallery

Peacock Wallpapers 1024x768

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Click an image to enlarge it.

Interesting Peacock Facts

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Peacocks are beautiful birds. Their wonderful feathers have long been used for adornment. According to Greek Mythology the peacock was a physical representation of Hera, Queen of the Gods. Read on to learn more interesting facts about peacocks.

Peacocks are members of the pheasant family.

The word peacock actually refers to the male bird but the word is commonly used to refer to both sexes of this species.

The most common breed of peacock is the Indian Blue.

Peacocks are omnivores. Their diet may consist mostly of grain, grass, plants, insects and other small creatures although peacocks will eat just about anything.

Peacocks have an average lifespan of twenty years in the wild.

A family of peacocks is known as a bevy. A group of peacocks is referred to as a party.

Peacocks prefer peace and harmony and will try to avoid commotion.

Peacocks have a crest or crown on the top of their heads that gives them a royal appearance.

According to history peacocks were brought to Egypt more than three thousand years ago by the Phoenicians.

Peacocks are quite sociable birds.

Peacocks reach maturity between eight and ten months of age.

Contrary to popular belief, peacocks do fly but only for short distances.

Peacocks get along well with other birds and like plenty of open space where they can roam free. They also enjoy being where they can get plenty of sunlight.

Males may have a harem of females which will each lay three to five eggs.

The average length of an adult peacock's beak is an inch long.

Peacock feathers are still popular decorations and are often used in crafts.

Peacocks are one of the easiest birds to raise.

Female peacocks make excellent mothers.

At night peacocks like to roost up high in trees or other high places.

The brilliant hues and decorative "eye" of a peacock's tail feathers are this bird's trademark. An adult peacock's train of feathers can be sixty inches long.

A peacock can have a wingspan of up to six feet.

Down through the ages peacock feathers have been a topic of superstition and folklore. According to various sources they may be considered as a token of good luck or feared as a bearer of ill fortune.

Peacock Dance

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Peacock Pictures

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Peacock calling - Pavo cristatus

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Indian Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) also known as Blue Peacock, is the national bird of India. The male (peacock) has beautiful iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage. The so-called "tail" of the peacock, also termed the "train," is in fact not the true tail but highly elongated upper tail coverts. The train feathers have a series of eyes that are best seen when the tail is fanned. This movie also gives a rear view of an Indian Blue Peacock's tail feathers.

Peafowl (both cock and hen) have a head crest.

The female (peahen) has a mixture of dull green, brown, and grey in her plumage. She lacks the long tail of the male but has a crest.

Mating season starts in the early Spring and ends in the early Autumn. The peacock's courtship rituals include the display of its startling plumage and a loud call. Recent studies have shown that both the frequency and quality of sexual plumage displays by males are reliable indicators of the health status of an individual.

Peacock Profile

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Peacocks are large, colorful pheasants (typically blue and green) known for their iridescent tails. These tail feathers, or coverts, spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird’s total body length and boast colorful "eye" markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. The large train is used in mating rituals and courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird's back and touches the ground on either side. Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains.

The term "peacock" is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl.

Suitable males may gather harems of several females, each of which will lay three to five eggs. In fact, wild peafowl often roost in forest trees and gather in groups called parties.

Peacocks are ground-feeders that eat insects, plants, and small creatures. There are two familiar peacock species. The blue peacock lives in India and Sri Lanka, while the green peacock is found in Java and Myanmar (Burma). A more distinct and little-known species, the Congo peacock, inhabits African rain forests.

Peafowl such as the blue peacock have been admired by humans and kept as pets for thousands of years. Selective breeding has created some unusual color combinations, but wild birds are themselves bursting with vibrant hues. They can be testy and do not mix well with other domestic birds.

Peacock Facts

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Type: Bird

Diet: Omnivore

Average lifespan in the wild: 20 years

Size: Body, 35 to 50 in (90 to 130 cm); Tail, 5 ft (1.5 m)

Weight: 8.75 to 13 lbs (4 to 6 kg)

Group name: Party

Did you know? A male peafowl is one of the largest flying birds when the combined length of its train and its large wingspan are considered.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

The Majestic White Peacock

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Peacocks

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The Peacock is the male and the Peahen is the female in the pheasant family, Phasianidae (order Galliformes), that consists of the blue or Indian peacock and the green or Javanese peacock which is quite aggressive. More recently they discovered a Congo peacock. Peacocks and peahens are not native to North America, but are found in many zoos here.

The males have a body that is 35-50 inches with long tail feathers that are about 60 inches and "are coloured a brilliant metallic green. This train is mainly formed of the bird's upper tail coverts, which are enormously elongated. Each feather is tipped with an iridescent eyespot that is ringed with blue and bronze. In courtship displays, the cock elevates his tail, which lies under the train, thus elevating the train and bringing it forward. At the climax of this display the tail feathers are vibrated, giving the feathers of the train a shimmering appearance and making a rustling sound. When he is courting, the male lifts his tail feathers up in a beautiful display to attract the female." From Britannica Online, "Peacock".

More White Peacock Pictures

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White Peacock in full spread showing off in a zoo

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White peacock feathers and Swarovski Crystal Comb

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Mating Dance of a White Peacock

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Indian National Bird - Peacock

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In India people believe that whenever the cock spread its tails in an ornamental fashion, it indicates that rain is imminent. In a way it is partly true. At the sight of dark clouds the bird outspreads its tail and starts dancing in rhythmic fashion. Most of the folklore including Bharatha Natyam has got special dancing poses for the peacock dance.

The peacock is a large and majestic bird. It has got a long and beautiful tail. Both the peacock and the hen have crest. But the crest of hen is smaller in size. The main body of the cock is mottled brown in color. Especially, the metallic green color found on the lower neck is very attractive. Though peacocks are beautiful looking birds their calls are loud and coarse.

They move in-groups and they are normally spotted in the forests, villages and nearby fields. They are shy in nature. It feeds on lizards, snakes, grains and insects. The hen lays a maximum of five eggs, which are in pale cream color.

The significance of peacock is attached to cultures of India, Far East, Ancient Persia, Greek and Christian. In Hinduism, the image of the god of thunder, rains and war, Indra, was depicted in the form of a peacock. In south India, peacock is considered as a 'vahana' or vehilce of lord Muruga. The figure of peacock is painted in various Islamic religious buildings. In Christianity, the peacock was also known as the symbol of the 'Resurrection'.

The peacock is the national bird of India. The species is found in dry semi-desert grasslands, scrub and deciduous forests. It forages and nests on the ground but roosts on top of trees. It eats mainly seeds, but also some insects, fruits and reptiles.

Females are about 86 cm (34 in) long and weigh about 3.4 kg (7.4 lbs), while males average at about 2.12 m (7.3 ft) in full breeding plumage (107 cm/42 in when not) and weigh about 5 kg (11 lbs). The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen. The Indian Peacock has beautiful iridescent blue-green plumage. The display feathers on its back are enormously elongated and ornate with an eye at the end of each feather. The female plumage is a mixture of dull green, grey and iridescent blue, with the greenish-grey predominating. In the breeding season, females stand apart by lacking the long 'tail feathers' also known as train, and in the non-breeding season they can be distinguished from males by the green colour of the neck as opposed to the blue on the males.

They are most notable for the male's extravagant display feathers, despite actually growing from their back is known as a 'tail' and also known as a train, a result of sexual selection, which it displays as part of courtship. This train is in reality not the tail but the enormously elongated upper tail coverts. The tail itself is brown and short as in the peahen.

White Peacock Wallpapers 800x600

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Click for a bigger image

Relaxed White Peacock Pictures

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White Peacock Feathers

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This is a floral arrangement with some white peacock tail feathers.

White Peacock Video

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Male white peacock showing his plumage.

Why are peacock feathers colored?

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In 1634, Sir Theodore de Mayerne, physician to Charles I, observed that the 'eyes' on the wings of the peacock butterfly "shine curiously like stars, and do cast about them sparks of the colour of the Rainbow; by these marks is it so known that it would be needless to describe the rest of the body though painted with a variety of colours."

In general, the diversity of bird feathers colors can be explained by mere two factors: pigments on one side and simple structures in the feathers which interfere with the incident light. Pigment particles are embedded into the newly grown feathers during the molting season. They absorb light of certain wavelength or disperse the reflected light and thus contribute to the color of the plumage.

Each feather consists of thousands of flat branches. When like shines on the feather, we see thousands of glimmering colored spots, each caused by minuscule bowl-shaped indentations. Stronger magnification reveals microscopic lamellae (thin platelike layers) at the bottom of the indentations (see photo below). Just like in butterfly wings, the regular pattern of the lamellas leads to interference phenomena and thus to iridescent colors. This principle is also responsible for varied colors of pheasants, birds of paradise and humming birds.

View at different angles.The color of a peacock feather is caused by its complex structure. The coloring changes with the angle of incident light - a characteristic feature of the structure-caused colors due to microlamellas.
Is it really just interference?
Yes. For example, the white color of this white peacock is due to the missing black melanine pigment. The usual rich colors of the peacock are seen because black pigment which absorbs most of the incident light, allowing us to see only the interferece colors. In this peacock, the interference is still happening, but the effect is entirely washed out by the abundance of white light. In this peacock, you can see that the "eyes" of the tail feathers are clear, not colored.

Peacock Feather

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Close-up of a peacock feather.

Peacock Information and Facts

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Peacocks are native to India, but can live in many parts of the world in captivity. There are many different kinds of peacocks including the Indian Blue, Black Shouldered, Congo, Green, and White peacocks. White peacocks are the same as the Indian Blue in size and behavior, but are white.

In the wild, male Peacocks generally accumulate a harem of 2 - 5 females. However, in captivity, they are usually satisfied with one. The male has an extremely long train (commonly called his tail) which is NOT actually his tail. The train serves as a cover for the actual tail, which is brown. The train actually sprouts from the center of the back. Peacocks grow to 7' from tip of beak to end of train.

Males are called Peacocks and females are called Peahens. The collective term for both male and female is Peafowl. Peacocks need a great amount of companionship. If you are interested in purchasing one, you will want to get two unless you want a very unhappy bird. I have had peacocks fly away looking for their mates after the peahen dies. Peacocks love to be with one another and close to each other.

The main purpose of the male's train is to entrance the female to get her to mate with him. He spreads his train and displays an incredible fan of beautiful blues, greens, violets, reds, oranges and yellows. Every area of the train changes color when struck by different angles of light. The male vibrates his tail rapidly at the female in an attempt to impress her. He shakes his wings and turns from left to right. However, even with this awesome display, it is very rare that we ever see them mate. The female usually pretends not to notice the male. When she is ready to lay eggs, she will decide to mate with the male. Later, an egg fairly larger than a chicken egg is layed. After 28 days of incubation, the egg hatches. There is no fixed amount of eggs that the peahen will lay. She will also sometimes lay decoy eggs away from the nest to distract predators.

After the 28 (sometimes shorter) days of incubation, the chick hatches and looks somewhat disgusting. It is still covered with substances from the inside of the egg.

The egg left behind by the chick is quite gross-looking on the inside. There is a yellowish-brown membrane left behind called the alontoias membrane. This is material that the peachick's (as they are called) body has digested and does not need.

When the chick is not even one day old, it can walk, eat and drink on it's own. Baby peacocks are born with flight feathers already on their wings and can fly by the time they are one week old. They need to be able to do this to fly into trees at night.