Have you ever visited a zoo or wildlife park and been captivated by the beauty of peacocks and their huge tail feathers? Originating in India but introduced around the world, these birds have captivated us with their unique beauty. They are large birds with incredibly long tails and you’ve probably only ever seen them on the ground. This will make you wonder, can peacocks fly?

Can peacocks fly?

Yes, peacocks can fly. They can fly up to trees or roofs from the ground. When it is time to land, they may fly down from higher positions, although this often looks like they are gliding with just a few flaps of their wings. You won’t see them soaring like eagles, moving like falcons, or darting from tree to tree like warblers. Their ability to fly is limited to short distances. They often refrain from flying in and back down from trees.

“Peacock” is actually the name given to a male peacock. The children are called “Pahens”. Females are less brightly colored and lack longer tail feathers. Peacocks are so visually striking with their huge halo of tail feathers and iridescent colors, people often forget the females look different and are called peacocks, and end up just calling the entire species Peacocks. However, the correct name of this species is Peafowl. For the purposes of this article, we will continue to refer to them as peacocks.

Are peacocks flightless birds?

As we have confirmed, peacocks are not flightless birds. But after observing them, you might think that they belong to the group of flightless birds like ostrich, emu and rhea. Although they don’t look much like those birds, they have some similar features such as strong legs with long clawed toes, a very large body and are obviously built for walking and running. On the ground.

Peacocks are members of the Phasianidae family which includes ground-dwelling birds such as pheasants, partridges, chickens and quails. All of these birds have the ability to fly, however they spend most of their time on the ground.

When do peacocks fly?

Peacocks are adapted to life on the ground. They scavenge and hunt for food on land. They eat small mammals and reptiles, fruits, insects and seeds. In more urban areas, they may feed on human food scraps, while in rural areas they prefer crops and garden plants. They are quite adaptable to many different food sources. Because they can access all of this on the ground, they don’t need to fly to find food.

Peacocks move quite quickly on land and can outrun some predators. However, they may fly as a last resort if they are trying to escape a predator such as a big wildcat, dog or even a wolf.

Peacocks also roost in groups overnight in tall trees or sometimes on other elevated areas such as rocks or buildings. These rooster flocks can be quite large and flocks of up to 100-200 birds have been recorded. Therefore, the peacocks will fly to their roost at night and fly/glide back in the morning.

Does a peacock’s tail prevent it from flying?

When you look at the long tail trailing behind a peacock in flight, you may be confused as to how they can lift themselves off the ground. Technically, their actual tail only has about 20 feathers. However, the “train” is made up of elongated feathers covering the tail which can have over 200 feathers and be about 5-6 feet long!

Surely this mass of 200 super long feathers on the back will definitely hinder their ability to fly. However, scientists believe that it actually has no significant effect. In a study conducted by Dr. Askew of Leads University, peacocks’ tails were clipped to confirm its effect on their flight.

Surprisingly, peacocks with their tails docked still struggled to take off from the ground and their flight was similar to when they had a full tail. This leads researchers to believe that the giant feathers have little effect on the peacock’s ability to fly.

“ Intuitively, you would expect trains to adversely affect flight performance, and so finding no detectable effect is somewhat surprising,” Dr. Askew said.

Why don’t peacocks fly?

So if their giant feathers don’t get in their way, why don’t they fly more often? They simply don’t have to. They have evolved to live most of their lives on land. Peacocks do not need to fly long distances to migrate to better weather or breeding grounds. They don’t need to fly to find or chase food. Thanks to their success living primarily on the ground in their habitat, they were able to grow larger bodies and use their energy in other areas, such as growing those giant feathers. The beautiful feathers they spread and sway in front of the females are an important part of the mate selection process and reproductive cycle.

Yet to this day, scientists are still trying to figure out exactly what females are looking for when they choose which males to mate with. Color, spotting and size must have something to do with the selection. But also, the sound. Males will shake these large feathers in what is called the “train sound”. This causes vibrations in the air that peacocks can notice and feel. There are still many mysteries about these tail feathers to discover!

Summarize

Contrary to the popular opinion that peacocks are flightless birds, they can use their wings to fly into the sky. They do not belong to the ostrich or ostrich family but to other ground bird families such as pheasants. They may not fly like the birds you usually think of, but they can climb trees and land on the ground from high places. Peacocks are truly unique and beautiful birds that we are still learning more about.