Identification of Female Peacocks (Male vs Female: Identification Guide)

Female peacocks are much easier to identify (male vs female: identification guide) when you know their special features.

Unlike male peafowl, females do not have the bright iridescent feathering and the long tail train, whose camouflaged feathers are meant to blend into their surrounding environment and protect them from their enemies. The peahens are also smaller and much shier by nature.

Thus, make the most showy courtship presentations while engaging females in raising young. Such differences give one an understanding of peafowl behavior in general, as well as the specific breeding strategies peculiar to peafowl in the wild.

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How Can You Tell If a Peacock Is Male or Female?

Males and females are separate, and different physical characteristics facilitate their easy identification. For instance, the size of peahens is less than that of males; while the males have more extravagant colored & shaped wings than females, they also have a more complicated tail. 

However, if you were to see a female peahen, she would not have the beautiful long, colorful train she would wear brownish feathers. Meanwhile, the crest of a male’s head tends to be more colorful.

Males will show their tails when they are in mating season, but females never will. Peacocks are also more vocal, making very loud calls. By checking these basic differences, you can easily determine which gender they fall into.

What Do They Call a Female Peacock?

Generally, “Peacock” is a misnomer for the entire species; it refers to males only. One may use “Peahen” to generalize for females. Together, the two make peafowl. Most people don’t know that neither is a peacock.

Regarding nesting, she is an incubator and aide, much the same as the ebony, playing its role in management to brood. But the female is still somewhat lost with regard to good feathers because peafowls do care.

Is a Female Peacock Bigger than a Male?

No; usually, female peacocks or peahens are smaller than males. Their males can be as long as five feet mainly due to the enormous train of tail feathers. Peahens are slightly shorter and have a somewhat stocky build having less impressive tail feathers.

Although they might appear strong, they generally weigh less than males. Males also have relatively longer crests and legs. The difference gets even more pronounced when males display their full plumage. In most birds, males are bigger, and peafowl are no exception to that rule.

Behavioral Differences

Different behavioral patterns characterize the peacock and the peahen, especially during breeding periods. The peacock will perform his display with all feathers raised and calls to entice the female.

He will guard his territory with a vengeance, chasing away any male intruders. The peahen is quite the opposite: she is the shy one looking for a suitor.

While mating occurs, the peafowls pay little attention to the males as females busy themselves looking for nesting sites during the breeding season. Peahens are generally sociable in small groups, in stark contrast to males that prefer a solitary life during the nonbreeding seasons.

Sexual selection and mating

The male peafowl performs a courtly fanfare with an elaborate range of motions using his extravagant tail feathers to entice the female.

He will spread his glory-colored train in an airy flutter, as though engrossed in his display. The brighter and more symmetrical his train, the higher the chances that a female will be dazzled by him.

His demonstration draws the attention of a potential mate, and the females even scrutinize the health of the male in terms of his morphology or behavior. This form of sexual selection ensures that only the strongest and handsomest males will pass on their genes.

Raising young ones

The peahen alone takes care of raising the brood. She lays a clutch of eggs, assumes the incubating job for about 28 days, and once the chicks are out of the egg, she teaches her offspring how to look for food and avoid becoming prey.

The peahen is a fierce guardian of these chicks, always keeping them close; in fact, the chicks even need the warmth of their mother for company and guidance during the early weeks. While the male does nothing in terms of parenting, the peahen spends a great deal of time raising healthy chicks. 

Calls and vocalizations

Surprisingly talkative for birds, peafowls have well-defined calls for communication. Males are known to make high-pitched screams, particularly in the breeding season. The screams are useful for establishing a territory and locating potential mates.

Peahens have softer and more muted sounds. Soft clucks are used to talk to the chicks and warn of impending danger. Alarm calls from both sexes also exist. The vocal communication from these birds therefore plays an essential role in socializing and avoiding danger in their wild existence.

Can Female Peacocks rear the young on their own? 

Yes, peahens have a habit of bringing up their offspring single-handedly; the male has nothing to contribute when it comes to nesting and rearing chicks once mating has taken place.

The female builds her nest in seclusion, and after hatching, takes the chicks out to search for food and water and demonstrates how to carry out important survival techniques. The peahens are very fierce and will kill to protect their young from any kind of predation.

Do female peacocks fly? 

Yes, peahens can fly; however, they often prefer to be on the ground. Their wings bear the power to lift them to trees if necessary. Peahen flies either to escape from predators or to find a comfortable roosting space in the top-most branches of the tree.

Unlike the males, peahens have less difficulty flying because of their shorter tails while the males have long tail feathers. They fly only short distances. Flying is primarly used to get out of specific danger; it doesn’t play any role in their day-to-day activities. 

Does a female peacock show her feathers? 

A peahen is not likely to fan out tail feathers as a male does. Beautiful displays are reserved for males to attract a mate, while peahens do not require pompous demonstrations. When threatened, however, peahens will slightly elevate their smaller tail feathers.

In this way, they give the impression of size in terms of appearance. Minus the showy train, peahens retain a few graceful posture images. Unlike courtship, these muted feather movements are used for communication. 

Are Female Peacocks Bright? 

Unlike the males, the females possess rather less colorful plumage. Few brown, gray, or green feathers provide some camouflage, which plays an effective role in hiding them when they actually nest from the eyes of predators.

Though the peahens do not have the bright blues and purples of the males, they are still said not to be unattractive. A little iridescent touch is normally found in their neck feathers, particularly bright under lightning conditions. Their rather subdued tone of color helps for survival in nature.

Indian Pavo

Indian peafowl or Pavo cristatus is the most common species of peafowl. The males or peacocks have the largest of the iridescent blue and green plumage, which is easily noticed by their eye spots.

The peahen, which is the female, is a dull little thing with brownish-green feathers. They are now considered the most important avifauna on the Indian subcontinent, which have tropical climate for habitat. They are popularly recognized for their courtship display.

The display of glittering tail feathers shows the attraction of mates and assertion of power. This Indian counterpart is India’s national bird.

Features

Male Indian peafowls grow long iridescent tail feathers to show courtship attitude. The neck is shiny dark blue and the chest radiates a sheen, while the wings are bronze and green. Peahens are quite small, with a dull brown hide that serves camouflage.

The They also have crests on their heads but are much more pronounced in males. The They have large legs and strong spurs used for defense. They are generally larger than males and weigh up to 13 pounds. They emit a very loud high-pitched sound that is characteristic during the breeding season.

Habitat 

The Indian peafowl is most adapted to open forest, grasslands, and cultivation. It does well in areas of dense vegetation with water proximity. This can be found quite easily in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

It is easily adapted to human habitats because most can be found in gardens and temples. It naturally occurs in both dry and humid habitats. Peafowl take shelter in tall trees to remain protected from predators. They use a combination of seeds, insects, and small reptiles as food. 

Behaviour 

Indian peafowl are social birds and most often found in small groups; the males become territorial and establish adaptation of territories by calling and displaying. Peacocks spread out their colorful tail feathers to attract females when they are mating.

They will be feeding on the ground by pecking on ground insects, seeds, and bits of vegetation. They are diurnal and nocturnal roosts but do so in trees for protection.

When in danger, these peacocks prefer to escape on foot, although they can easily fly short distances. Peacocks signal each other through their loud cries.

Peacocks with Green Plumage

Green peafowl (Pavo muticus) is a spectacular bird found in Southeast Asia. Unlike the Indian peafowl, both sexes are richly dyed. The male sports an iridescent green with gold and blue accents, while the female is rather dull in comparison but more colorful than the rest of the peahens.

This species is shyer and lives mainly in deep forests. Green peafowl are rarely seen in captivity. They have suffered declines due to loss of habitat and hunting. 

Characteristics

Males sport long feathers down to the tail with an arching plume of iridescent green and metallic sheen. The green peacock has eye-spots in the tail, though less prominent than those found in Indian peafowl.

Golden-orange facial skin and erectile crest are another peculiar feature of Peafowl. Females also have green plumage, but it is much duller, making it harder to separate them from males compared with other peafowl species. They are strong-legged for running, and their deep and resonant calls travel well through close forests.

Congo Peafowl

The Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis), a bird inhabiting the Congo Basin of central Africa, presents a completely different appearance from its Asian relatives.

Males are a dark blue with undercurrents of green and red, while females are brown with a light iridescent cast. The extravagant tail feathers for which most peafowl are known are absent in this bird.

FAQ’S

All peafowl species do not possess long tail feathers.

Only male Indian and green peafowl ornament themselves with long, beautiful tail feathers; the Congo peafowl does not possess any. 

Does the peafowl female-equal the color of the male?

Female green peafowls are more colorful compared to other peahens. They can, however, not compete with the male birds in terms of their brightness.

Where do peafowls roost at night?

Peafowl roost in tall trees for their safety from predators; even ground-dwelling Congo peafowls find high places to roost at night.

Are peafowl very noisy?

Yes, particularly males during breeding season. Their calls attract mates and alert predators.

Are the peafowl endangered?

The Indian peafowl is everywhere in the peafowl world while the greens and the Congo peafowls are under constant threats from habitat loss and poaching. So, conservation measures need to be initiated.

Conclusion

Members familiar with the peafowl male vs female identification guide allow separation of females, albeit inconspicuously colored, from the gaudy males. The males are bright, whereas peahens are relatively dull having brown and/or green feathers with shorter tails and, on the whole, less showy. They have one eye on the chicks to be raised and one eye on the potential mate that impresses her during his courtship display. Unlike the males, who rely on spectacle to attract mates, their very dull plumage offers some measure of camouflage useful in securing their survival in the wild. Size, behavior, and vocalization are clues to identification. These differences alone provide insight into the very exciting peafowl dynamics.