national bird

National Bird of India:
The peacock, commomly known as Indian peafowl was declared the national bird of India in 1963, because it was entirely a part of Indian custom and culture. A peacock is a symbol of grace and beauty. Another reason why the peacock was chosen as the national bird was because of its presence across the country, so much so that even common people are familiar with the bird. Moreover, no other country had the peacocok as its national bird either. The peacock fulfilled all these and hence became the national bird of India.

The national bird of a country is a designated representative of that country’s fauna. It is chosen on the basis of the unique qualities that the bird may symbolize. It should uphold certain core qualities or values of the nation it belongs to. The national bird should be a prominent feature in the cultural history of the country. Another point in favor of being chosen as the national bird is the beauty that it embodies. The indigenous nature of the bird is another point while it is being considered as the national bird. Being designated as a national symbol affords the bird a special status with increased awareness and dedicated conservation efforts.

Habitat
They are found in low altitude areas, generally below 1800 meters from the sea-level. In the wild, they inhabit a wide range of habitats ranging from semi-dry grasslands to moist deciduous forests.They prefer to live near water-bodies. They also live around areas of human habitation, near farms, villages and often in urban areas. They forage and nest on the ground but roost on trees tops.

Physical TraitThe males of the species, also known as peacocks, present a strikingly beautiful appearance that is well-appreciated throughout the world. They can grow to a length of 195 to 225 cm from tip of the beak to the end of the train and weigh an average of 5 Kg. The peacock’s head, neck and breast are iridescent blue in color. They have patches of white around the eyes. They have a crest of upright feathers on top of the head which are short and tipped with blue feathers. The most notable feature in the peacock is the extravagantly beautiful tail, which is also known as the train. The train is fully developed only after 4 years of hatching. These 200 odd display feathers grow from the back of the bird and is part of enormously elongated upper tail coverts. The train feathers are modified so that they do not have the barbs that hold the feathers in place and are therefore associated loosely. The colors are a result of elaborate microstructures that produce a sort of optical phenomena. Each train feather ends in an oval cluster bearing an eyespot or ocellus that is extremely eye-catching. The back wings are greyish brown in color, and are short and dull. The Indian Peacock’s thighs are buff colored and they have a spur on the leg above the hind.