What Do Wild Peacocks Eat?

Peafowl eat a varied diet in the wild.

The proper name for a male peafowl is peacock. Females are referred to as peahens. Peafowl are related to pheasants.

Origins

Peacocks are not native to America. The United Peafowl Association lists peafowl as native to India, Burma, Java, Ceylon, Malaya and Congo.

History

"Phoenicians first brought peafowl from India to what is now Syria and Egypt about 3,000 years ago. About 600 years later, Alexander the Great introduced them to Greece, where he forbade people to harm them," according to the New Zealand Birds website. The birds are sacred to Hindus.

Plumage

Males have the most showy plumage, but females are not without adornment. The University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension notes that peafowl do not attain the best of their full, colorful feathers until age 3, and these feathers are lost from the end of summer until the next spring.

Diet

Peafowl are foraging omnivores. Their diet may include grains, berries and other fruits, insects, small reptiles and mammals, according to the website Wild India. The United Peafowl Association states that the birds will eat everything from dandelions to dog food to rabbit pellets and game bird feed in captivity.

Fun Fact

The University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension states that, in India, wild peafowl still roam the jungles and occasionally dine on young cobras.

References

• Wild India: Peacock
• United Peafowl Association: Peafowl
• University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Peacock
• New Zealand Birds: Peafowl

Resources

• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center: Game Birds