Birds Around Me 0119 - Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर

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Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

The most familiar and spectacular bird in India is the Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर. It was elected as the National Bird of India in 1963. It is a bird of poems, tales, songs, dances, gods and goddesses, folklores, artists, dreamers, and lovers. The beautiful dance of the Indian Peacock will literally take your blues away. The peacock begins to dance from December-January till the end of the monsoon season. It generally dances in the morning and while dancing it projects the tail and trains upwards.

It is a common bird across farms and adapted well amongst humans, a lot has been described about the bird but what is not so generally realized is that the gorgeous-eyed train of the cock is actually not his tail but abnormally lengthened upper tail-coverts. The hen is crested like the cock but lacks the train.

The tail feathers end in all 'eye' ocellus consisting of a purplish-black hear-shaped nucleus surrounded by blue within a coppery disc, with an outer rim of alternating green and bronze.

Their call is exactly the opposite in terms of likeness to their appearance and dance, it bit annoying. The food mainly consists of grain, and vegetable shoots but they are omnivorous and will readily take insects, lizards, and small snakes.

The nest is a shallow scrape in the ground lined with sticks and leaves, usually well concealed in dense undergrowth.

There are a few myths about how peacocks got beautiful spots on their feathers. The most common in India is an episode from Ramayana. When Ravana invaded heaven for the purpose of conquering the gods, the king of the gods, Indra, fled away. While fleeing, he came across a peacock and hid under his wings. For this act of shelter, Indra conferred the following boon on the bird, saying: "I am Sahasraksha (possessor of one thousand eyes). As you have saved my life from the demon king's attack, I am pronouncing this blessing on you. That you who are plain-plumaged and dull-colored, should, henceforth, also be the possessor of one thousand eyes. As a result of this blessing, the peacock got gorgeous-colored plumage and obtained the eyes or spots on his feathers.

According to Hindu mythology, the peacock is the vehicle or mount of Lord Karthikeya, son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. His brother is Lord Ganesha. The peacock he rides is called Paravani. This peacock was originally a demon called Surapadman. Surapadman provoked Karthikeya for combat and took the form of a tree. The tree was cut in two by Karthikeya's powerful vel (javelin). One half of the tree became a rooster, which became his emblem, and from the other half emerged a peacock, which he made his mount.

This amazing bird has been the inspiration of artists, poets, and writers but its numbers decline due to the illegal poaching for its meat and feathers.

-- Ashutosh Jhureley @BirdsAround Me

Birds Around Me - Unfinished List (अपूर्ण  सूची)

References: 
1- Common Birds of India - Salim Ali & Laeeq Futahally
2- Studies in Bird Myths No. XII - Sarat Chandra Mitra

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 


Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Ashutosh Jhureley
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर
 Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) मोर, मयूर 


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