With the alias of Java peacock, it belongs to the Phasianidae family of Galliformes order. Its scientific name is Pavo muticus (Latin), or Green Peafowl (English).
The body-length of the male bird is about 140 centimeters and the female bird is about 100 centimeters. Body feathers of the male are turquoise blue green, and the lower back has red copper luster. The vertex has a tuft of erect crista. Tectrices of the tail can extend to be a tail screen up to over 1 meter, and the feather has numerous large eye-shaped spots formed by violet, blue, yellow, and red colors. When spreading its tail, it shows extraordinary flamboyance dazzling the eyes. Body feathers of the female are mainly brown, with green glow. It doesn't have tail screen.
It inhabits in valleys at an elevation of lower than 2,000 meters, as well as open ground near light forests, bamboo forests and bushes. It is often seen that one male with many female companions moving about together. Mainly consuming mushrooms, berries, grain seeds, grass seeds, it also feeds on insects,batrachians and lizards. It begins to breed in the middle ten days of February, usually building nests in sunken ground in ridges and tussock grass and bushes on shady slope. It lays 4 to 8 eggs per brood, generally 5 to 6 eggs, which are creamy white, brown or milky yellow. The female hatches the eggs, and theincubation periodis 27 to 30 days.
Peacock's beautiful feather has been the favorite adornment to people all through the ages. IntheQing Dynasty (1644-1911), flower plume" was made of it together with feathers of the brown eared pheasant. Official ranks were then differentiated by the number of plumes. Peacock's movement is like dancing gesture, based on which the folk art "peacock dance" has formed, which is strong and vigorous, graceful and inebriating.
Green Peafowl has a narrow distribution in China, only found in the south of Yunnan Province with a total amount of 600 to 950.
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