AnimalsThe Indian peafowl is the national bird of India. The male, the peacock, has a train of long feathers marked with shining "eyes", which he raises and shakes in a fan to attract the female, the peahen. The train is shed and regrown every year.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Pavo cristatus
- Group
- Birds
- Diet
- Omnivore (eats plants and animals)
- Lives in
- India and Sri Lanka
- Habitat
- Open forest, farmland and villages
- A young one is called
- peachick
- A group is called
- muster or ostentation
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Aves
- Order Galliformes
- Family Phasianidae
- Genus Pavo
- Species Pavo cristatus
Other members of the family Phasianidae on this site: chicken.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The Indian peafowl is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.