Peacocks
Most people have been unfamiliar with the keeping of peacocks. The fact that peacocks are associated with pride and class makes people unwilling to engage themselves with the keeping of the birds. However, most information about peacocks is unavailable to potential keepers. Peacocks are also known as the peafowls. Besides, peacocks are beautiful and harmless birds that inspire art in several communities. Different individuals keep different types of peacocks, and their feathers have several uses.
Three common species of peacocks are known among peacock keepers. The first species is the Indian peacock that has been identified by several people as the most beautiful species (Sexton, 2018). The Indian peacock is metallic green in color and is common in India and East Asian countries. Moreover, the Indian peacock has a short tail and a blue or green head. The second species is the Japanese peacock that is also known as the Green peacock. Green peacocks are believed to originate from Indonesia. Also, the Japanese peacocks are characterized by a green-colored body and a short tail. The last species is the Congo peacock that is among in the African countries. Generally, the Congo peacock is different from the other peacock species. The Congo peacock is usually not attractive since it lacks the long plumage as the other peacock species. The peacock is most used to refer to the males.
The female species of the peacock is referred to as peahens. Peahens are not associated with the beauty that comes with peacocks (Petrie & Williams, 2013). The peahens are therefore dull and lack the long plumage that makes peacocks beautiful. Besides, the peahens are smaller in size as compared to the peacocks. The dull color of the peahens gives them an ability to camouflage. Generally, a peacock should not be confused with a peahen since the names represent opposite genders. Moreover, the feeding habits of the peacocks make them loved by farmers.
Peacocks are primarily omnivorous. Therefore, peacocks are able to consume flesh and vegetables. Among the flesh that peacocks eat are insects and snakes (Berman, 2016). Besides, peacocks have vigilant eyes and act fast while hunting snake (Kane, Wang, Fang, Lu & Dakin, 2019). Moreover, farmers love peacocks due to the ability to feed on insects that would be harmful to plants and other animals. Generally, the feeding habits of peacocks make their maintenance affordable by most farmers. Additionally, peacocks’ feathers have different uses and hence, their economic importance.
Peacocks’ feathers have several uses on top of being used for beauty. Apart from being used for décor items and fancy items, peacocks’ feathers are used as a symbol for peace and prosperity. Also, peacock feathers are used for various religious rituals (Hall, 2018). Most individuals use the feathers to create a sense of positive energy in homes. Besides, the feathers are believed to have miraculous healing powers. Peacock feathers have for many years been used to cure different illnesses. Therefore, peacocks are both symbols of beauty and sources of cure.
In sum, peacocks are beautiful and harmless birds that inspire art in several communities. There are three common species of peacocks: the Indian, Japanese and Congo peacocks. Generally, a peacock should not be confused with a peahen since the names represent opposite genders. Usually, peacocks are both symbols of beauty and sources of cure.
References
Berman, R. (2016). Peacocks. Lerner Publications.
Hall, J. (2018). Illustrated dictionary of symbols in Eastern and Western art. Routledge.
Kane, S. A., Wang, Y., Fang, R., Lu, Y., & Dakin, R. (2019). How conspicuous are peacock eyespots and other colorful feathers in the eyes of mammalian predators?. PloS one, 14(4), e0210924.
Kohri, M., Uradokoro, K., Nannichi, Y., Kawamura, A., Taniguchi, T., & Kishikawa, K. (2018). Hairy Polydopamine Particles as Platforms for Photonic and Magnetic Materials. In Photonics (Vol. 5, No. 4, p. 36). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
Petrie, M., & Williams, A. (2013). Peahens lay more eggs for peacocks with larger trains. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 251(1331), 127-131.
Sexton, M. (2018). Play of Color in Bird Feathers.