When we think of peafowl, we immediately think of the beautiful plumage of the magnificent peacock. There are three different species of peafowl but the best known is probably the Indian peafowl whose males, or peacocks, are known for their majestic tails, or trains, that are beautifully colored with iridescent blues and greens as well as the famous eye spots at the end of the feathers. The display of their plumage in all its glory is something that we all should see once in our lives.
Charles Darwin suggested that these displays were part of the courting ritual, and were largely to attract females for mating. But a theory put forward by the late professor Amotz Zahavi, the renowned evolutionary biologist from the department of zoology at the “Tel Aviv University, stated that these displays were to show honesty to the females regarding their fitness to be a good mate in his work the “Evolution of Signals”. Whatever the reason is for these amazing displays is neither here nor there as far as I am concerned, it is just a wonderful thing to see when these birds display their incredible plumage.
In the clip that you are about to watch you will see a very different looking peacock. This bird doesn’t have the familiar blue and green feathers of its Indian cousins, but is instead pure white. This type of peafowl is known as a “Leucistic”. They are in fact known as albino peafowl and are quite rare. They technically are not albino, but have a condition called leucism which causes a reduction in the pigmentation of the feathers all over the birds’ body. The leucosticte chic is born yellow but becomes totally white by the time that they have matured.
The bird that you will see in the clip is rather striking, and as you watch it becomes quite apparent that it certainly knows its own beauty. He seems to be quite happy posing in front of the cameras, strolling up and down the courtyard in which it is being filmed. Ironically this bird was found in a local neighborhood, not in a zoo as you might well expect. Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me with her beautiful gifts to us. It was once thought that there were only between 9 and 10 thousand species of birds on this planet, but now it is known to be as many as 19-thousand species. A gift the Mother Nature has given us, and it is our responsibility to make sure that we do not lose any more species to our own greed and needs.
Click on the link below and enjoy a truly spectacular show from a rare-bird that has no doubt about how important and wonderful he is.
