Where do peacocks live? What do they eat? Features, interesting facts

Who has not heard or seen this amazing birdwith a chic tail? To date, you will not find a zoo in which these birds are not kept. But where do peacocks live in nature? What conditions do they need and what do they eat?

Habitat

Peacock belongs to the family of pheasants andbelongs to the detachment of chorophores. Therefore, it is also called a big chicken. And yet, where do peacocks live? It is known that the main habitat for peacocks is India and Sri Lanka. It was here that the peacock was first discovered or, as it is also called, the Indian peacock. This species is the most common today - it can be observed in almost all zoos in the world.

Another species of peacocks inhabits the island of Java,the peninsula of Malacca and Indochina. This species is called gigantic or Javanese. It is much larger than the ordinary and has a brighter color. I must say that there are about 50 species of peacocks. All of them are different in size, but the males have a magnificent tail, which relates them to this species.

History of distribution

For the first time this amazing bird was seen by the Dutch,reached the islands in the Pacific Ocean. They, having arrived back, told an amazing story about a bird of paradise with a magnificent tail. Naturally, these stories caused a lot of questions. Where do peacocks live? In which country can they be seen? Following the discoverers of India, traders followed, who brought extraordinary birds. Interestingly, the first mention of these creatures is found in ancient scrolls, including the Bible.

These birds adorned the magnificent palacespowerful rulers of Ancient Egypt, Rome and India, and also were the pride of the richest and most wise king in the history of mankind - Solomon. In Europe, peacocks were in the times of Alexander the Great, famous for his predatory campaigns in countries where peacocks live.

Features of the structure

Peacocks are very large birds: Their dimensions together with tail are up to 2.5 meters. Although you need to clarify that the body of the bird does not exceed one meter, and the tail is only 40-50 centimeters in length. But the magnificent feathers located above the tail, and make up the main length of the bird because they reach a size of 160 centimeters.

The Indian peacock's main color is the plumagehead, neck and chest bright blue. The back of a beautiful green bird with color overflows, and the bottom - black. Such coloring is especially important for attracting females because the voice of a peacock is terrible, like a crow. But the magnificent tailless feathers look chic - long, bright, decorated with ornaments, like a lot of eyes. Interestingly, they serve not only to attract females, but also to protect against predators, and modern science knows that this is one of the ways of communication.

Food

Imported to Europe, they are first simplywere contained in the cells, but with the development of zoosads, other questions arose. How to tell people what kind of bird it is - a peacock? Where does he live? Than eats? For the answer it was necessary to learn more about the place of their natural habitat. It is interesting that after arriving in India, peacocks were discovered at an altitude of up to 2000 meters above sea level. Their favorite place was thickets of shrubs, located near the villages, and cultivated fields. This indicated the way they fed them: they enjoyed cereal in the nearby fields.

They also eat berry bushes growingnearby. Do not shy the bird to eat small rodents, as well as small snakes. The only condition for the peacocks to live nearby is the presence of a nearby pond and separately standing tall trees. India abounds in such places and this is the best place for the birds. In addition, the Indians believe in the sanctity of this bird and allow it to eat from its fields. Interestingly, where there is a bird of a peacock, there are fewer snakes and thus it benefits the people living next door.

Reproduction

In the case of the reproduction of peacocks like themselvesare like chickens - one male has up to five females. The breeding season for these birds coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. Therefore, in the localities where peacocks live, people consider them to be harbingers of rain. During breeding, the male dissolves his colorful tail, pushes it forward and begins the mating dance. Thus, he attracts the attention of the female, and it is up to her to choose the partner - whose dance is most impressive, so it will be.

The female does not build nests, but lays eggs directlyto the ground. In a hole usually up to 10 eggs. It must be said that Pava is a very dedicated mother, she will protect her offspring to death. Unlike females, males flee when they see danger, warning their brothers with a loud cry. Nestlings appear light gray and up to 1.5 years old males practically do not differ from females. Maturity peacocks reach at the age of 4 years, then the males appear their magnificent plumage.

It must be said that for a long time peacocks were bred not only for beauty, but also used for food. The meat of this bird on the table was considered the top of wealth and was served only in special cases.