Peacock is our National bird. It is a symbol of grace, friendliness, caution, pride and community spirit. Its rhythm of gait, its akinness to the green vegetation, its keen response to the changing seasons-alt have drawn it closer to the poet than any other bird. Kalidasa has referred to the peacock as a perennial source of beauty and a constant symbol of nature's expressive personality.
The Indian sub-continent is the native home of the peacock. Here it is found in jungles near water and usually near cultivated land and groves. One of the most beautiful sights in the world of birds is that of a peacock displaying the beauty of its glittering tail feathers. The male bird cannot charm its mate by song, but it does so with bright colours. The fanning of the long tail feathers gives a most wonderful patterned effect and shows to full advantage to rich colours in sym metrical array. It is from this display that the simile "as proud as a peacock" comes.
In India, the Indian Blue Peacock (Pavo cristatus) is a universally known bird with a fan-shaped crest. In Assam and other north eastern States and Burma is found another species the Golden Green Peacock (Pavo muticus). The Indian peacock is not only protected now for being our National bird, but has been protected from time immemorial.
The peacock's sight and hearing are very sharp. It is away and careful. At night it generally roosts on a lofty tree or even on a roof. At dawn the jungle resounds with its shrill notes. It is very sensitive to its surroundings, especially the weather. A little cool breeze or black rain clouds in the sky is enough to send it into raptures. It is generally the first to detect the presence of any wild animal on the prowl and warns other animals of the forest.
It is an omnivorous bird with its main diet consisting of grain, vegetable shoots, insects, lizards and snakes. Like the Secretary Bird of Africa the peacock performs a very useful function in keeping the snake population down.
The breeding season starts from July and generally the eggs are laid in August. The hen lays the eggs amid dense bushes or on the very low branches well covered with foliage. The clutch varies from four to six cream-coloured eggs and the incubation lasts for 26 days. The young ones of both sexes look alike till they are two years of age when the tail covers of the male bird begin to grow and develop their brilliant splashes of colour.
A peacock's call is a loud trumpet-like scream. In Northern India the bird is credited with being especially noisy and happy at the approach of rain;
Hindu mythology abounds in references to the peacock. In the Bible too, when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, peacocks featured among the gifts she brought to him. When Alexander decided to go back from India, he took with him about 200 live peacocks to delight his people.
During the Gupta period the peacock established itself as the royal bird. Kumara Gupta (413-35 A.D.) issued a gold coin which showed, on one side, himself feeding a peacock with grapes, and on the other Kartikeya on a peacock. In his edicts, Asoka said that the slaying of deer and peacock in the wild was an offence. Aurangzeb also ordered a ban on the shooting and killing of peacocks. Everyone has heard of the famous Peacock Throne of Shah Jehan. The Kushan King Kanishka also had adopted the figure of a peacock as his personal emblem.
Thus from time immemorial, peacock has drawn the attention of poets, emperors, invadors, warriers for its beauty and grace. It is no doubt one of the most beautiful creatures of the world.
