The peacocks are, without any doubt, very attractive colorful birds. They walk with elegance, delicacy yet keeping their head high, depicting themselves as strong and courageous. There are two Asiatic species are the blue or Indian peafowl which is originally from the Indian subcontinent and also the green peafowl which comes from Southeast Asia.
Can they really fly?
Yes, peacocks can fly despite their large size. They can, however, not sustain the flight for a long time, and this ends up limiting the distance they can fly continuously. They do not take a flight all of a sudden like a common bird, but they start by running, then hopping, and then leaps in the air to fly. They are able to fly to the rooftops or on top of trees from the ground. You will never find a peacock maneuvering like an eagle or darting as the hawk does. Peacocks have that large plumage that is important in helping the bird when it is landing by allowing it to glide on the ground until it lands on its feet.
The peacocks mainly stay on the ground since that is where their food is mostly found, and it thrives there. However, they fly from time to time, mostly when facing danger. The size of the Peacock’s tail does not affect its ability to take off. Since they mainly thrive by staying on the ground, the peacocks use that energy in growing their bodies larger and in other areas such as growing massive feathers.
The peacocks can be fast when flying with a speed of around 10 miles per hour. This is not a great speed, but it is enough to get it away from any danger.
When do peacocks fly?
The peacocks are adapted to live on the ground, and this, therefore, means they depend on the ground to hunt for their food which is mainly seeds, fruits, insects, and small mammals, and reptiles. This means they do not fly mainly in search of food since they feed on the ground. However, in some instances, when they spot their prey from a far distance, t5hey might run and, in some instances, fly to reach it faster.
There is another circumstance that may lead to their flying. They are fast and can easily outrun their attackers, but when they feel threatened and can no longer run, that is when that resort to flying. Sometimes the peacocks sleep on the trees or other elevated areas, and this means they are going to fly in order to reach there.
Why do peacocks fly away?
In order to keep your peafowls from flying away may be as simple as ensuring that you provide a safe home where they do not feel threatened. When you provide basic necessities like healthy food and clean water regularly, the birds will. They feel at home and will have no reason to fly away as they will consider that new home safe and better than the previous home considering that they are not under predator’s threat.
Below are some of the reasons why they may fly away:
- They Are Feeling Lost
When the peafowls are brought to a new environment, they feel lost for a period of time until they get used to and gain trust in their safety. They end up flying away if they feel the place is not as safe as their previous home. They will end up flying away even though they are not aware of their previous home.
During the first few days in their new home, the birds will always feel lost and will have the urge to fly away back to their home. It is advisable to ensure that they are placed in a secured pen during the first two months to ensure that they get used to the environment. Ensure you also spend most of the time around them by feeding and taking care of them, and they will gain trust In you and the new home.
- There Are Predators in the Area
Despite their temper, peacocks are birds that need a lot of comfort in their daily lives. When they realize some predators are within the new area that they call home, they are likely to fly away in search of a safer area. Therefore it is important to make sure the new environment is safe from any external intrusion such as predators that will scare the peacocks and end up flying away.
- The Pen Is Overcrowded
When you bring the peacocks to your home, and you have a small space for them, be sure that they will fly away in search of a better home. It is critical to consider the fact that these birds need personal space to stretch and roam. To prevent this from occurring, you need to ensure that the place you are placing them is spacious enough for them to fly around and stretch their wing and feathers without having congestion. Ensure you keep a small number of peacocks if you feel the space may not be large enough for it to have this comfort.
How can a peacock fly despite not being an ordinary bird
The wings and feather tails of a peacock are different from other birds since they have different coloring, iridescent colors despite the crystal-like covering of the structure, giving it a radiant glow and colors of the feather’s tail and wing. The majority have a belief that this bird did not know how to fly when it first came to existence due to its physical look with a tiny head and its resemblance to big birds such as the ostrich, which can not fly.
However, when you get an opportunity to see a peacock flying from one tree to another, you will be shocked and amazed simultaneously due to the fact that it actually can fly and very impressively.
Best Ways To Keep Your Pet Peacocks In The Yard
- Provide enough space for their pen
The peacocks are territorial birds, and they love moving around in groups, but they also need their personal space to enjoy and relax. This is one of the reasons why it is important to build a pen that is large enough to accommodate the group and have a personal space to jump around and stretch the feathers without any congestion.
- Make sure their pen has thick and strong walls
It is important to make sure that the environment in which your Peacock stays is safe from extreme climate. Despite the fact that these birds are hardy, they need to live in a place that protects them from the harsh climate. The purpose of having a large pen with thick and strong wills is to ensure they are protected from extreme cold and hot climates.
If, for instance, you are raising peachicks, it is advisable to keep them in a warm environment for at least 4 to six weeks after they have hatched. Make sure you regularly check the temperatures of the place in which they are to ensure they are consistent.
- Train your peacocks to stay in their new environment
When you are raising your peacocks, it is crucial to ensure that they are comfortable in the environment in which they are placed. This is because this place is restricted, unlike the natural habitat where they can roam freely. This place might make the birds feel trapped when they are living in a protected area. If they cannot adapt and feel free in their new home, they will turn anxious and feel the need to escape from the perceived danger. The best thing is to confine them in a place for at least three weeks.
During this period of confinement, ensure that you treat them with care and attention until they feel that they are under no threat. By giving them care and attention, you will win their trust, and they will now feel free in the new environment.
- Put a chicken wire or fence around their pen
To protect the peacocks from predators or any other external attacks, it is vital to have a chicken fence around them. These predators could be wild dogs or other wild animals like the foxes, and obviously, the worst you would want to experience is having your Peacock attacked and injured or eaten by these animals if you have a domestic dog that you have kept within your compound, taught her to not chase the peacocks around and learn to coexist without posing any threat.
- Feed them with a balanced diet and clean water
To ensure that your peacocks grow well and healthy, ensure that you feed them on a balanced diet without starving them. Two handfuls of grain per day to provide them with the minerals and nutrients they need for proper growth. To make this means a bit interesting and delicious, you can add some fruits and vegetables to the diet of these birds. Make sure you give water to them every time and change it regularly to ensure it is clean and fresh. Clean water will be free from contamination, and hence your peacocks will be free from diseases.
Peacock feathers
As said earlier, the flights of this bird comprise of running, hopping, and then fly. These feathers play a significant role when also hunting for food, not just flying. The plumage in its entirety comprises hundreds of feathers, and they give a shimmering look like a shaft of light strikes them.
Molting Process
The peacocks release a large number of feathers a little by little every year for a specific period of time. Thus, it happens to most birds, and it is referred to as molting. As time goes, the plumage goes down, and this will necessitate the trigeneration of new feathers to replace the lost ones. The new generation of feathers will be stronger and will be helpful in enabling the Peacock to fly with less difficulty.
Peacock on the ground
These birds belong to the pheasant family, which comprises of others such as the turkey and grouse. These birds are not famous flyers. These birds are also big in size, and this also is among the reasons why they rarely fly unless on special occasions. These birds are very fast on the ground, and they have adapted to this life, and which means they do not need to fly for food.
It does not mean these birds are flightless, but they have a number of features that make it inconvenient for them to fly.
peacock tails
Peacock tail is very fundamental whenever you are discussing them. The peahens, which are the female version of peacocks, do not have a large tail since they do not need to attract the male, but it is the male that seeks to attract the females. The tail of a peacock of one of the remarkable examples of a runaway sexual selection in which a feature that is deemed notable for a good mate is selected over and over again.
Now that we have information that the tails are elaborate, we need to know whether they have any impact on the flying. After doing research, we have found that it is true the tail has an impact on how the Peacock flies. When the weight of the tails increases, this will make the flight a little bit difficult, and at the same time, when they are reduced from a peacock, the takeoff becomes difficult. They will struggle, but eventually, they are able to take off and fly.
Facts about the peacocks
- When you are not sure about the gender of the Peacock, the appropriate name is the peafowl. However, the Peacock is the name of the male version, while the female is known as the peahen. The children are called the peachicks.
- The peafowls will be seen in groups more so when it is resting time on high elevated areas, and this group is called a bevy.
- These birds are not born with their beautiful and attractive feathers. For instance, the male will not grow the showy trains until they are at the age of three. The peachicks are hard to differentiate between a male and female until at the age of six months when the male starts changing color.
- For those who would want to have the feathers for one reason or the other, they do not need to kill the peacocks to have them. The peacocks usually shed off the feathers after the mating season, and this is the appropriate time to have them for any use.
- Despite the massive tails, they are able to fly. The tail can reach up to 6 feet long, and this makes almost 60 percent of the body length. Irrespective of these, the peacocks can fly comfortably, but they cannot go for a long distance.
- There are also all-white peafowls. This is called leucism and is caused by the genetic mutation that causes the loss of pigmentation. Some believe they are an albino version of the peafowls.
- A while ago, these birds were prepared as a delicacy. They were plucked the feathers off and roasted, and then the feathers were re-dressed to appear as a live peacock when being soil. Despite the beauty of these birds, the reviews from those who experienced the delicacy show that the taste was terrible, and most physicians criticize d it citing the difficulty in digesting it.
- These birds can be cunning. They are known to make a certain call when mating with the peahens, but they can sometimes fake it in order to attract more females. The study shows they fake this call to convince other females that they are more sexually active and therefore genetically fitter than their competitors.
- The Peacock has a crest that acts as a sensor for mating. The peahens have a special sensor that enables them to feel the vibrations of the Peacock from a distance. Every time the Peacock rattles its tails, it does so at a frequency of 26 times every second, and this creates a pressure wave that literally the female head for attention.
- In the ancient times when the kingships existed, the peafowls were royal birds for the kings. The place workers would put these birds besides the thrones of the kings as the interior decors. They were also placed to act as eye candies for the kings. To date, they are also kept domestically, but it is important to ensure that you have enough space for them to roam, fly up and down, and spread their wings happily.
Conclusion
Peacocks can fly, but they chose not to most of the time unless they have a reason to fly. They are naturally best adapted to being birds that stay on the ground because that is where they feed on.
Peacocks are beautiful and large birds that are so attractive to everyone. The birds can fly, but due to their size, they cannot fly over a long period of time and therefore can only cover a short distance. The peacocks belong to the family of flying on the ground, and it is called the pheasants.
It is possible to domesticate these birds, but it will require time to train them to adapt to the new environment. However, with proper care and right guidance and attention, these birds can make great pets.
