Uttarakhand
"Peacock Spotted at 6,500 Feet in Uttarakhand"
- 08 Oct 2024
- 2 min read
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.
