Do you know about White Peacocks?

What comes first in your mind when we talk about peacocks?

Their colourful feathers, right?

Yes, of course, whenever it comes to peacocks, their spread colourful feathers are the first thing that comes to our mind. 

But the wings of these white peacocks will take your breath away!

"The pride of the peacock is the glory of God."~ William Blake

The charm in their white wings will surely amaze you as they are popular for their spectacular beauty .

Their tail, also known as a train can measure up to 4–5 feet, sometimes longer than their whole body! The longer tail looks more beautiful when they spread them to perform their special 'peacock dance'.

Just have a look at this peacock standing in pride of its white tail's glory. Doesn't it seems like it's simply trying to boast out its beauty in front of the viewers?

Peacocks are native to India (and are National Bird of India as well)and the first known white peacock was spotted in 1830. However, when British Empire came to India they spread them all over America and Europe.

They are found in South Asia and now are considered almost extinct. We will look into the reason behind their declining population but before that;

let's first check out the reason behind their unique white feathers :

It's important to note that the white peacocks are not another species of peacocks but are white due to a genetic mutation called leucism. It causes the partial loss of pigmentation in birds resulting in their white appearance.

There are 3 to 6 eggs in a clutch of a peahen and it's interesting to note that the chicks start flying just after 3 days from birth. The chicks are yellow when born and turn white when mature.

However, the white peacocks are sometimes also mistaken as albino peacocks, but it's not true. As albinos have red or pink eyes whereas these white birds have blue eyes!

They generally live somewhere between 10 to 20 years. Conversely, they may live for 50 years in captivity.

The white peacocks look more glamorous than the white peahens. During the mating seasons, they used to flap their wings which looks like a white fan and dance around to attract the females.

There are small crystals present on their wings which shine due to reflection in sunlight when they flap their plumage to dance and it looks mesmerizing!

Like the colourful ones, they are also omnivorous and feed upon insects, plants and small animals.

Do you know that 'peafowl' is the collective name for the peacocks and the peahens?

But their patches of white spots make them more visible to the predators. The most common hunters are leopards, tiger, dholes, hawk-eagle and rock eagle owl. As a reason, they have now become almost extinct and now it's only possible to see them in wildlife reserve!. Some people also keep them as a pet but its found quite rare.

Not just the carnivorous animals are the reason behind their declining population but the widespread hunting for the collection of eggs and chicks, meat and feathers and the human interference as well as the loss of natural habitat together contribute towards this.

In India, the white peafowls are protected by some villages in different parts of the country for their religious practices. They are believed to symbolize eternity, purity and unconditional love.

In medieval times, the peacocks have also considered a delicacy and they were displayed on the plates for the guests. However, its meat was not found tender.

There are many beliefs among people regarding to different astonishing birds but I don't think we need any reason for praising the beauty of white peacocks. They simply look stunning!

I f you enjoyed reading and want more interesting stories like this, then drop a heart and subscribe to the page. You guys can also support me in my journey by pledging or tipping me!

Follow my instagram page and stay connected with me for more nature related facts and fun!