Category Birds

                Red jungle fowls are the ancestors of our domestic poultry. It is estimated that Man started domesticating them at least five thousand years ago, in Asia.

              Red jungle fowls lead a social life and they choose to live in well-watered forests in groups. They are omnivores and have a varied diet that includes insects, fruits and seeds. They are very shy and will flee if there is a signal of anything alarming.

               We can see red jungle fowls in the Himalayan terrain. States like Odisha and Madhya Pradesh also have a share of these birds. 

          The name peafowl brings to our mind the picture of a large bird with brightly coloured feathers. The appearance of the male and female birds in this species is very different.

          The male peacocks have very long tails which are usually around 1.5 m. A peacock’s tail is made of large green feathers that have blue eyes on them. This makes it unique and very attractive. Although this tail looks too heavy to lift, peacocks can easily fly with it. The pea-hen has white feathers on its face, throat, and belly. Unlike the males, peahens don’t have showy tails. Both males and females are very keen in their vision and hearing.

          When it comes to nesting peafowls prefer open forest, or land under cultivation. The bird builds its nest by making a depression on ground and lines the nest using sticks and leaves. Peafowls eat berries or grains. It also feed on insects, lizards, or small snakes.

          Despite their good looks, peafowls are not very welcome visitors to our cultivated lands. Their foraging in cereal crops results in considerable loss of revenue to farmers.