Kiwi

This is my pet peacock Kiwi. He is a very sweet gentle bird. He likes to eat bugs and leaves. He also likes to sleep in my black walnut tree. Every night he flies up into the tree and sleeps. During mating season his tail grows long, up to five feet and he shows it off to the pea hens. I raised this bird from a small little peachick. If you visit a local zoo let's say the Oregon Zoo. They have many peacocks who can be very aggressive, this is due to be pestered by every 3 year old that visits the zoo. Peacocks don't take kindly to harassment.

On this day I just found him sunbathing on the table. I got some pictures real quick before he walked away. The birds have beautiful colors that shine in the sun they are beautiful almost sparkly greens and blues. I could just stare at their feathers for hours.

Every year after mating season all the long feathers drop off their tail and they start growing them again. Although peacocks are sweet animals. Most people don't like to hear their mating calls which to me sound like really load screaming monkeys. This is a beautiful sound that can take you to the jungle.

These are Majestic birds that find comfort in each other. One weird quirk about these birds. They will reject other peacocks that have the white feather gene. The white peacock is a genetic mutation called leucism. The Indian blue peafowl are the only type of peacock with this mutation. Kiwi is a Black shoulder peacock mixed with an India blue that is why when he was born he was mostly white, but as he grew the white almost fully disappeared.

The most beautiful time of year is mating season for these birds, they do act a bit wild and scream in the night. One comfort that it offers is it is sort of like an alarm they see a car or a coyote and they will scream. The best part after about a month or so they will have peachicks. They are protective of their babies but not too aggressive. They should definitely be left alone during this time. One of the best ways to tame them his hand feeding them. They will walk right up to you and eat out of your hand.

This will make them comfortable with you and bond you to the bird. These are the most amazing pets I have ever owned. I always love to see them gather by the front door in the morning to get some food. It is an amazing experience to see these birds close up. A family of peacocks Is called a bevy. They can fly, I have seen them fly at least 70 feet into a very large tree. Watching them fly down from trees is an elegant sight.

One surprising fact when there are not enough females for mating. The male peacocks fight. It’s like a standoff they can go for hours circling each other and using the spurs on their feet to attack the other male. These are called metarsal spurs. They are fighting over their territory, mating rights mostly. When they are done one male backs down and keeps their distance. Sometimes the loser will run away. Although it can be stressful it is natural for them. Only a full grown male with a full tail and is over one to two years old in age that will fight like this.

I am in no way an expert, but I hope this makes you want to research them for yourself to know more about these amazing creatures.