What peacock species are there? What is the function of the tail?
The peacock is a very beautiful animal, and people often describe it with the word "proud," because its posture when walking is upright, much like a princess. The peacock is a first-class protected animal in China, and wild ones are mainly distributed in the Yunnan region. Now some places have also started special peacock farming, though they can only be raised with complete documentation. Everyone knows that the peacock's tail only fans out at specific times, and it is very beautiful, looking like a fan made of feathers. Let's take a look below at what peacock species there are and what the function of the tail is.
1. What peacock species are there?
Common peacock species include the Indian peafowl (blue peacock), green peafowl, white peacock, Congo peafowl, and others.
1. Indian peafowl (blue peacock)
The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India, mainly distributed in the forests, scrub, and semi-desertified areas of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other regions.
The Indian peafowl is a very precious species among peafowl, with a relatively large body and brilliant colors. When the male peacock opens its tail, it can reach a diameter of more than one meter, looking like a feather fan. The markings on it are also very peculiar, looking like eyes of different colors.
2. Green peafowl
The green peafowl is an endangered species, mainly distributed in Southeast Asian countries. The male bird's color is emerald green, with an upright crest on top of its head, which is very peculiar. Green peafowl like to move in groups in open woodlands and grasslands, riversides or field-edge thickets, as well as forest grasslands and open clearings in forests, and do not like overly dense tropical rainforests.
3. White peacock
The white peacock usually refers to a variant of the wild Indian peafowl under artificial breeding. Its numbers are very small, and it is also a very precious ornamental bird. As the name suggests, the white peacock is snow-white all over, with no mixed feathers, and when its tail fans out it looks like a beautiful snowflake, very attractive. The white peacock's feeding habits are not very different from those of other species.
4. Congo peafowl
The Congo peafowl is a peafowl species discovered in 1936, and it is a peafowl species distributed in Congo, Africa. The male is purple-blue, and the female is reddish-brown; the female is not as attractive as the male.
2. What is the function of the peacock's tail?
1. Maintaining body balance and controlling flight
The peacock's tail helps maintain body balance, the same as the tail function of most animals, and it can also control balance during flight.
2. Protecting itself
When peafowl are in danger, they spread their tails and use the eye-like spots on them to confuse and intimidate enemies to protect themselves. They also constantly shake their tails, making a rustling sound to frighten enemies.
3. Attracting the attention of the opposite sex
The male peacock's tail is a tool for showing off. Whenever it is the breeding season, male peacocks compete to fan out their tails to display their charm and attract female peacocks for mating.