Indian Peafowl (Peacock)

The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) was declared India's national bird in 1963. The male, the peacock, is famous for its long train of iridescent blue-green feathers decorated with "eyes", which it raises into a shimmering fan during courtship, especially at the start of the monsoon.

Peafowl are found across most of the Indian subcontinent, in forests, farmland and even villages and town parks. The bird appears in Indian art, poetry and mythology – it is the mount of Kartikeya, and its feather adorns Krishna's crown. It is fully protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.