Peacocks have been considered for thousands
of years, as the world’s most beautiful of all birds. Both sexes including
the "peahen" female, and the "peacock" male, are correctly known as
"peafowl", although both genders are commonly known as the Peacock
variety of bird.
The male Peacock, in full plumage, is a
spectacular sight. The blue-green, iridescent feathers have been
prized and valued for thousands of years, as they still are today.
Peafowl originated in Southern Asia and Malaysia, and have been revered in
their native countries as long as history has recorded their existence.
Peafowl were kept as exotic pets in China and later Europe by royalty and
the aristocracy.
There are two breed types within the
species that are classed according to their plumage differences. The first
and more common variety is the “Indian Peacock” (‘Pavo-Cristatus), often
called the Blue Peafowl. This variety is today the common breed of Peafowl
found in North America, and hails from India. This breed is hardier than
its counterpart, and less expensive, as well as more readily available to
purchase from breeders.
The second, less commonly seen variety
is the “Green Peafowl” (Pavo-Muticus), which is native to the Far-East of
Burma, Thailand, and Indo-China. This variety by a lesser availability is
more expensive, more rare, more susceptible to cold and generally not
as hardy. The plumage on these two varieties differ in color, but body
weight and size are comparable.
The Peacock has been present throughout
history, as a decorative “exotic” pet as well as a meat bird. The
Phoenicians brought Peacocks to Egypt more than 3,000 years ago to decorate
the temples, where they were considered good luck. In dream symbology, for
thousands of years, the Peacock has symbolized pride and the presence of
ego, and this was reflected in the motivation for ancient people’s
reverence of this beautiful and almost mystical bird. The phrase “Proud as
a Peacock” is reflective of this anciently held belief. Peafowl were kept
in biblical times, & Medieval Europe, for the dual purposes of meat and beauty.
Fortunately for the Peacock, after the 16th
century when domestic meat birds, such as turkeys, were imported from
Mexico, the peacock was no longer used as a meat bird, in deference to the
fleshier and heavier turkey. Thus, the Peacock truly became
exclusively an exotic pet in most parts of the world, allowed to simply
be beautiful and die of old age.
