Peacock Eyes

Description

Beautiful Peacock displays his eyes

The male peacock sports about 150 of the long “eyed” peacock tail feathers with which most of us are so familiar.These feathers are actually long extensions of the upper tail covers. They are supported from underneath by the much shorter tail feathers. These feathers grow to be several feet long, but are shed each year just after the breeding season and regrown the following season. The eyed tail feathers grow in size and number as the male matures. Each of these long feathers also has a design near its tip which resembles an eye.

The feathers of the peacock are composed of many colors, including the crescent sheen of bright blue and green. The shimmering color of the peacock feather is due to a phenomena known as interference. Each feather consists of tiny flat flat branches. When light shines on the feather, we see thousands of glimmering colored spots, each caused by minuscule bowl-shaped indentations. This same principle is also responsible for vibrant shimmering colors of butterflies, pheasants, birds of paradise and humming birds. Recreating the unique color of the peacock feather has posed a challenge to artists and ceramists for centuries.

ndian Peacocks or peafowl have been domesticated for about 3000 years. A common fixture on zoo grounds, animal parks, and many farms and estates around the world, peacocks are among nature’s most dramatically beautiful birds. Their native range is through India, Pakistan, western China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Peafowl’s preferred habitat in the wild is lowland and foothills with brush and scattered trees which they use for roosting. Related species include pheasants, grouse, guinea fowl, quail, chickens, and other gallinaceous birds. Life expectancy is generally considered to be 15-20 years.