Peafowl

The Indian peacocks and peahens at the Arboretum are not domesticated, and have lived here ever since their ancestors were introduced from the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century. The blue-necked males display to the females between February and July, creating huge fans with their tail feathers. They often accompany this with strutting and shivering movements, and loud repetative calls that sounds a little like a cat's 'mee-ow'. The peacocks shed their impressive tail feathers every year in July, and regrow them over the autumn and winter months. The peahens have short tails and grey-brown plumage.