"Peacock Spotted at 6,500 Feet in Uttarakhand"

• 08 Oct 2024

Why in News?

Recently, peacocks were sighted at an unusual altitude of 6,500 feet in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, indicating ecological changes due to increased human activity.

Key Points

• The peacock, normally seen at 1,600 feet, was spotted in the Kafligair (April) and Kathayatbara (October) forest ranges.
• Experts believe warmer conditions at higher altitudes, influenced by human expansion, may explain the bird's altitudinal migration.
• Experts from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) suggest it may be a seasonal shift, as cooler winter temperatures could prompt the bird to retreat.

Peacock

• The collective name for peacocks is peafowl. The male of the variety is called a peacock and the female peafowl is called a peahen.
  • The Indian peacock is also the National Bird of India.
  • Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) belongs to the Phasianidae family. They are among the largest of all birds that fly.
    • Phasianidae is the pheasant family, a bird family that includes among its members the jungle fowl (from which the domestic chicken is descended), partridge, peacock, pheasant, and quail.
  • The two most-recognizable species of peafowl are:
    • The blue Peacock/ Indian Peacock found in India and Sri Lanka.
    • The green or Javanese peacock (P. muticus) found in Myanmar (Burma) to Java.
• Habitat:
  • The Indian peafowl is a native of India and some parts of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
  • The species are currently habituated more in central Kerala, followed by southeast and northwest parts of the state.
    • At least 19% of the states’ area is suitable habitat for this species and this may increase by 40-50% by 2050.
  • They are well adapted to living in forest edges and cultivated areas.