Finely Feathered Friends

This is a photo of an Indian peacock displaying his familiar but exotic tail. The photo comes from the San Diego Zoo’s website. Click on the picture to check out their pictures!

When we had some time in between travelling and taking care of the animals, I like to go out to the peacock house to look at the fancy birds that live there. That is where we house the peafowl, the golden pheasant, and a few other odd birds (like the fancy pigeon and a few more of the silkie chickens). Peafowl is a collective term for peacocks, peahens, and peachicks. Right now, there is one male, one female, and two one-year-old babies in the “pea-family” we have out there. Like in the barn, the bird flock that we have is an interesting and nontraditional flock, but a flock nonetheless. The pheasant, peafowl, and the other birds all get along very well.

Peafowl in all Their Glory

While the females might not have the impressive tails or as much coloration as the boys, these little girls are still more colorful than some birds. Peahens typically have at least some blue or green on their necks and breasts. Photo from Arkive.org. Click on the picture to go to the Arkive.org slideshow!

While not everyone has had the chance to actually encounter this wonderful pet, it’s very unlikely that people have never seen a picture of one or at least heard of these birds. Surprisingly, though, people tend not to know very much beyond “peacocks are the ones with the blue feathers and long tails” in spite the wealth of information available. Peafowl are actually rather popular as pets because of their beauty, calm nature, and tail feather production (at least with the males). Peacocks typically first grow their magnificent tails (“train plumage”) when they are three years old. The long notable feathers that everyone can identify as peacock feathers are actually long train feathers that grow on top of shorter tail feathers that help hold the “train” up when the male displays his plumage. They shed these train feathers every summer, and we’ve been trying to gather and count the ones from this past summer. I believe there were well more than 100 when I left in August.

The blue peacocks that everyone knows and loves is actually an Indian variety of peacocks. They were first domesticated some 3000 years ago, and have mostly been used as decoration for the very wealthy. In India, peacocks are the national bird, and they are considered sacred because they eye spots on their feathers are said to represent the eyes of the gods. While they may have been merely ornamental for much of their domesticated history, these little guys can be quite fun to have around. Be warned though! If you’re not a morning person, you may not like their loud calls. They call mostly in the mornings and evenings, but during the breeding season (or after the one peahen moved to a farm down the road) peacocks will call all day long. Over the years, there have been some that were quieter than others, but personally, I find their calls really interesting to hear (although I like them less early in the morning). This video has a really clear capture of the peacock’s call.

Peafowl are really not horrendously difficult to take care of, but if you’re not used to caring for birds, it can be challenging but still rewarding. Like with all animals, knowledge goes a long way in ensuring a long and healthy life for your pet. Be sure you can make the huge time commitment before considering getting peafowl. It is not uncommon for them to live 20 or more years when properly cared for and maintained. Like with any pet, it is important to consider whether or not you have the facilities to care for them and if there is a qualified veterinarian in your area that handles peafowl. Some good places to start are the United Peafowl Association’s information page, resource list, and their “do’s and don’ts” list page. For more information on the species, check out the San Diego Zoo’s in-depth look at peacocks.

The Golden Pheasant

This is our Golden Crested Pheasant who lives out in the peacock house. He is a little camera shy, but he finally struck this pose to show off his beautiful coloration.

This is another bird that has always been quite striking to me. I’ve found that not a whole lot of people have heard of or seen these wonderful birds, which is really a shame since they are so beautiful and tend to have mild personalities. While pheasants may be related to peacocks, these colorful little fellows are originally from the forests in China. In fact, the Chinese consider them very lucky because they are a sign of good luck and prosperity. Pheasants don’t tend to be thought of as pets since most species are considered game birds, but the golden pheasant is one of the most popular pheasant species in captivity because of their vibrant coloration.

Caring for these birds is very similar to caring for peacocks and other fowl. They need proper nesting areas, shelter from too much sun or bad weather, plenty of fresh water, and protection from predators (even in town). Our birds get cracked corn supplemented with wild game bird feed. Always do your homework to make sure you are prepared for the responsibilities of owning a pet, and some good places to start for pheasants are the Avian Web (also for peafowl) and the Allandoo Pheasantry website.

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