Indian peafowl

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

Male Indian peafowl are unmistakable and well known. Body length of males is from 1.8 to 2.3 m (including train), and they weigh about 4 - 6 kg. Females are dull green, grey and iridescent blue, with a white belly. They have a body length of 90 - 100 cm and a weight of 2.7 - 4 kg.

Did you know?
Peafowl have been kept in captivity for many centuries and was about the first "exotic" bird kept in Europe.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	GALLIFORMES
Suborder	PHASIANI
Family	PHASIANIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Pavo cristatus
Name (English)	Indian peafowl
Name (French)	Paon bleu
Name (German)	Pfau
Name (Spanish)	Pavo-real común
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

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PRA

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Introduced to Australia, the Bahamas, New Zealand.
Habitat	Grasslands, scrub and deciduous forests, but also on cultivated land and near villages.
Wild population	The global population size has not been quantified, but it is believed to be not globally threatened as the species is described as 'common' in at least parts of its range. May have become extinct in Bangladesh, where it was formerly common (del Hoyo et al. 1994).
Zoo population	3025 reported to ISIS (2007). This species is often kept in zoos, by privat breeders or free roaming in parks as it is sedentary.

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 16 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed. It is recommended to transport adult male peafowl after they have molted and lost their long tail feathers in late summer.

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Wikipedia

Why do zoos keep this animal

Usually the domestic form of the Indian peafowl is kept, and this for ornamental and educational reasons and to allow for close encounters as the birds are very tame.

How this animal should be kept

Peafowl are resident birds that do not fly well. In most zoos they are kept free living in the park, sleeping during the night on some high trees. If kept in an aviary, the aviary must be at least 3 m high. Only during very cold winters it may be necessary to keep the birds in a frost free building.

Peafowl are fed a standard pheasant diet consisting of pellets mixed with wheat, fruit, and salad. Limestone or grit together with fresh water should be available at all times if the birds are kept in an aviary.

The birds should be dewormed twice a year, usually in February and September. Peafowl are also infamous for spreading bacterial diseases, such as avian tuberculosis. Necropsy of all birds that have died should therefore be mandatory.