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The Peafowl

 

 

 

The Indian peacock is one of the oldest domestic animal. You found them  already thousands of years ago outside of India. At that  time the animals were not only hold because of their magnificent plumage. No the peafowl was also on the menu of the authorities.

Even the peacocks were in different cultures viewed as divine and reveres. Due to the unusual appearance of peacocks, they were in various religions as symbols for things like resurrection, immortality or as a gatekeeper to paradise.

Those days are thankfully over. Today, peacocks are only held for pleasure. They are found in parks, zoos and in the hands of private enthusiasts. It is, however, mostly the blue peacock, or mutations that are derived from this in captivity.

Besides the Indian peacock, which is known nearly by  everyone, there are also other kinds of wild peacocks, which are however largely unknown to outsiders.

The below are listed peafowl species are living in the wild and scientifically recognized.

 

 

 

 

 

Species:

Indian Peacock, Pavo cristatus

 

 

 

The Indian peacock is one of the oldest domestic animals. In wild habitat he is leaving in Indian and Sri Lanka. He is loyal to his current location and hardy for our middle European winters. That's the reason why this is the most hold peafowl species.

 

 

 

 

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Derived from the Indian Peacock are nowadays many mutations are breeded in different human stocks. These mutations are very popular in the USA, there are up to 90 different mutations are breeded.

Here you will find some examples for breeded mutations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species:

Green Peafowl, Pavo muticus

 

 

 

This Peafowl species is much less frequent hold compared to the Indian peacock and the derived mutations  The reason for that is probably that the species are not loyal to the current location and they are also not hardy for the middle European winters. This means the Green Peafowl you have to keep in closed aviaries and you have to provide them a heated cot for the winter. It looks like, that this effort stops many people to breed green peafowls.
In fact , this species is much better to hold in our countries with the high densely populated latitudes. Nine months a year the animals are almost completely silent and in the mating season the call of the cock you hear only very rarely. Due to the winter a cot is required which can be used also to put the animals into over the night. This excludes a noise nuisance to the neighbours almost completely.

 

 

 

 

The green peafowl are divided into three sub-species science. This subdivisions are not sufficient, because depending on the habitat, the animals also differ within the various sub-species significantly. That has to be considered when you are doing conservation breeding.

 

 

 

 

Scientifically the following three sub-types are distinguished:

 

 

 

Sub-Species:

Pavo Muticus Muticus, Malaysian or Javanese green peafowl

 

 

 

 

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The Javanese green peafowl has the most intensive colours of the three sub-species. Typical is, the intensive blue colour on the elytrons and the deep green throat plumage.
This sub-species is living on the peninsula of Malaysia and in the south part starting form the straits of Kra, island Java

 

 

 

Sub-Species:

Pavo Muticus Imperator, Indo-Chinese green peafowl

 

 

 

 

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The Indo-Chinese Green peafowl has compared to the sub-species muticus less blue coloured elytrons and many feathers are only blue surrounded. The throat plumage is more matt and looks more brown/bronze.
As the name is saying, this sub-species is living in Indo-Chinese area.

 

 

 

Sub-Species:

Pavo Muticus Spicifer, Burmese green peafowl

 

 

 

 

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The Burmese green peafowl has compared to the other two sub-species less green colour in his plumage. The back escutcheon is more blue-green and the elytrons are having less blue then the imperator species. This sub-species is living in the north west of Burma. The  Arrakan-Mountains are separating the habitat from the sub-species imperator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species:

Congo Peafowl, Afropavo congensis

 

 

 

The Congo peafowl is the only peafowl species which is living outside of Asia.

 

 

 

 

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This peafowl species has extremely high requirements regarding feeding and environmental conditions. To keep this requirements it needs normally a house with tropical conditions. That's the reason why this peafowl species is very seldom to find in private stocks.
This peafowl species has his wild habitat only in the tropical rainforest around the Congo (Zaire).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crossings:

Private breeder are also crossing the Indian Peacock and his mutations with all species of green peafowls. The results of these crossings are called Spalding-Peafowl.

The two pictures below are only examples to show closed sometimes the spalding animals are looking like the Blue peacock or green peafowl. Often these animals are also known as emerald peacocks.

 

 

 

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