One of real biological mysteries is the Peacock. The Peacock is always the male and peahen is the female. Regal in appearance, the male has beautiful tail feathers approx 4 and 1/2 feet in length. When fully raised, the bird is often seen over 9 feet from tip to tip. The larger and the more colorful the feathers are, shows the female that the male bird is healthy and that her peachicks will have good genes. The peahens are said to be very selective in choosing a mate.
This particular male found at the San Diego Safari Park has a crest on it's head making it look almost like a crown. The beauty of the Peacock has often caused it to be referred to as a proud bird with many traditions and mythological references. He put on quite a dance said to happen most often when pursuing a peahen or when the weather is changing and rain is expected. It was a sunny day and it wasn't raining and no peahen was in sight so I think he was just showing off to a crowd of onlookers.
In Greek Mythology, there was a wild story of how the Peacock actually got the many iridescent eyes on its tail plumage. It's a long story but suffice it to say, that Hera, Zeus's wife needed to keep her eye on him as his eyes tended to wander. Naturally her favorite bird just happened to the beautiful Peacock and she supposedly placed the colorful eyes on the tail feathers to help her watch him.
The Peacock with it's stunning jewel tone colors is the national bird of India and is often found with free rein in many royal gardens around the world.
The Peacock Close Up
The Peacock in Full Display
This post is dedicated to Gayle Rich-Boxman of FishLake Realty.
When Gail entered our 1st ActiveRainPhotobogger Contest her photo was of a Peacock. Through that contest, Gail and I met and I recognized her amazing talent as a writer and photographer and we have established a wonderful new friendship.
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