The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird with a fan-shaped crest of feathers on its head, a white patch under the eye and a long-slender neck.The male of the species is more colourful than the

female with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the tail. The elaborate courtship dance of the male by fanning out the tail and quivering the feathers is a gorgeous sight.

The peacock is widely found in the Indian sub-continent from the south and east of the Indus river, Jammu and Kashmir, east to Assam, south to Mizoram and the whole of the Indian peninsula. The peacock enjoys full protection under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.