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Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. XXVI
Field-journal plate: Indian Peafowl
The Indian Peafowl plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate XXVI

Indian Peafowl

Pavo cristatus

Phasianidae · Taxon 1204

Length0.86–2.12 m
Wingspan1.4–1.6 m
Weight2.7–6 kg

Field marks

  1. Adult male with an iridescent cobalt-blue head, neck, and breast
  2. Upright fan-shaped crest of slender shafts tipped blue-green
  3. White stripe above the eye and white crescent below it
  4. Scaled bronze-green upperparts and black-and-white barred wing coverts
  5. Very long green-bronze upper-tail covert train with prominent eyespots in adult males
  6. Strong pale gray-brown legs; male commonly bears a spur

HabitatOpen deciduous woodland, forest edge, scrub, grassland, cultivated land, and other terrestrial areas with cover, water, and suitable roost trees.

BehaviorMostly ground-foraging and diurnal; typically runs into cover when disturbed and flies to trees to roost.

Palette

iridescent cobalt blueemerald greenbronze-goldblackwhite