White Peafowl

Class: Birds

Order: Galliformes

Family: Phasianidae

Weight: 5-7 kg

Height: approximately 50 cm and more

Body length: up to 1 m

Color: white

Age of sexual maturity: 2-3 years

Gestation period: 28 days

Lifespan: about 20 years

Habitat: widely distributed in Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka up to 2000 m above sea level. They inhabit jungles, wooded areas, cultivated lands, and near villages, preferring shrub thickets, forest clearings, and riverbanks.

Diet: in captivity, they eat grains, barley, root vegetables; in the wild, they consume small mammals, snakes, insects, berries, and fruits of plants.

Did you know?

• In Ancient China, the great emperor encouraged his subjects by giving them the snowy-white feathers of this bird as a talisman, a symbol of greatness and dignity that continues to hold significance in modern China.
• It is often thought that white peafowl are albinos; however, comparing birds in photos reveals that true albinos have red eyes and weak health. White peafowl, on the other hand, are the result of a genetic mutation.
• Despite their attractive appearance, these birds have a harsh, piercing voice. With keen hearing, they loudly call out when predators approach or when weather changes, alerting their surroundings to danger.