Peafowl

Description

The peafowl is a colourful bird of unique appearance. The male (peacock) has distinctive iridescent blue, green & blue-green plumage. Its most well-known element are the large feathers of the tail, which are topped with dark ‘eye’ spots. The "eyes" are best seen when the peacock fans its tail. The adult female peafowl is grey and/or brown. Peachicks can be between yellow and a tawny colour with darker brown patches. Both males and females have crests atop their heads.

Colour mutations exist through selective breeding. The birdkeepers of Thorns produced white-coloured peacocks, lime-coloured peacocks, and iridescent green-coloured peahens, though the records and breeding stock for those variants have been lost with the city.

The colourful plumage of the male is used in mating dances and displays, with females selecting the most beautiful amongst them for their mates.

Nomenclature

The species is often referred to as the ‘peacock’, but this is inaccurate. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. Some ancient texts occasionally refer to peafowl as ‘Eastern Pheasants’.

Habitat & Range

Peafowl are forest birds that nest on the ground but roost in trees. They are terrestrial feeders.

Peafowl are native to the Eastern Threshold, from the deeper forests inward to the plains of the River Province, though even in this range they are not common birds. Captive birds are also present on some noble estates, particularly those of Dynasts on the Blessed Isle.

Diet

Peafowl are omnivorous and eat most plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians.

Cultural Significance

The feathers of a peacock’s tail, beautiful and distinctive, are in high demand for use in fans, and peacock-feather fans are amongst the luxury goods produced and exported to the Realm from Greyfalls. Smaller peafowl feathers are used as decorative accents in garments, particularly those worn by Wood- and Water-aspected Dragonblooded
 
Amongst wealthy Dynasts, peafowl are a luxurious decoration to place in a villa garden. Peafowl can also be eaten, though this is not common, usually served as an ostentatious centerpiece for a banquet.

The peacock is used to represent the rank of Department Overseer in the mandarin squares of the Thousand Scales.

In the River Province the peacock is also a symbol of pride or vanity, due to the way the bird struts and shows off its plumage. It is thus used often in anti-Lookshy and anti-Realm propaganda, often one side using it against the other… to many not in either camp, ‘peacock’ is simply interchangeable with ‘Exalted’.