One of the common themes that I have seen in Zoos is that they let Peafowl wander the grounds. This was again the case at the Toronto Zoo. This allows you to get some nice pictures without the bars or wire of a cage getting in the way. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a picture of a Peacock with a full display of plumage. However, I did get a few nice pictures.

The Indian Peafowl Pavo christatus is the national bird of India and the provincial bird of Punjab. The male of the species is known as a Peacock and the female as a Peahen. Like many members of the pheasant family (Phasianidae) the Peafowl have strong sexual dimorphism. In other words, there are large differences between the appearance of the sexes.

Here are head shots of a Peacock and Peahen, the difference here is easily seen. The Peacock is much more colorful.

Have you ever heard the call of a Peacock? The loud piercing call is not soon forgotten. Especially if you are very close to the one calling.

Even though I was not able to get a picture of a plumage display, I did get a few interesting pictures. The next picture is of a Peacock perched on a fence. In the background I have captured another animal which I didn’t even notice until I started to select the pictures for this post. Can you find the large animal in the picture? Not sure why I didn’t notice it before.

The last picture here is of a Peacock perched in a tree. This is the first time I have seen this up close. I was very impressed with the beauty of the Peacock in this position. The train or upper tail coverts are so beautiful.

I am watching the Olympic Track and Field Trials on NBC. As colorful as the NBC Peacock logo is, I would much rather see the actual Peacock.

Steven