RID - 3140 ROTARACT CLUB OF DOMBIVLI

Green Peacock:
The Peacock is considered as the national bird of India. However, the studies and statistics show how less importance has been given to these national birds. To be specific let’s talk about Green Peacock also known as Green Peafowl.

Name Origin: Green peafowl (Pavo muticus from Latin pavo meaning "peafowl" and muticus meaning "mute, docked or curtailed") is a large galliform bird that is found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is also known as the java peafowl, but this term is properly used to describe the nominate subspecies endemic to the island of Java. It is the closest relative of the Indian peafowl or blue peafowl (Pavo cristatus), which is mostly found on the Indian sub-continent.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Unlike the related Indian peafowl, the sexes of green peafowl are quite similar in appearance, especially in the field. Both sexes have long upper tail coverts which cover the actual tail underneath. In the male this extends up to two meters decorated with eyespots while in the female the coverts are green and much shorter just covering the tail. Outside the breeding season, however, the male’s train is moulted and it can be difficult to distinguish the sexes unless they are observed up close. The neck and breast feathers of both sexes are iridescent green are scaly in appearance. In the male, the scapulars, median and greater wing coverts are blue while the lesser coverts are green and form a triangle on the shoulder when the wing is closed. Green peafowl are large birds, amongst the largest living galliforms in terms of overall size, though rather lighter-bodied than the wild turkey and perhaps the longest extant, wild bird in total length.

Distribution and Habitat: Green peafowl was widely distributed in Southeast Asia in the past from eastern and north-eastern India, northern Myanmar and southern China, extending through Laos and Thailand into Vietnam, Cambodia, Peninsular Malaysia and the islands of Java. Records from northeastern India have been questioned and old records are possibly of feral birds. The ranges have reduced with habitat destruction and hunting. Green peafowl is a forest bird which nests on the ground laying 3 to 6 eggs. They usually spend time on or near the ground in tall grasses and sedges. The diet consists mainly of fruits, invertebrates, reptiles and other small animals. As with the other member of its genus, the green peafowl can even hunt venomous snakes. Ticks and termites, flower petals, buds leaves and berries are favorite foods of adult peafowl. Frogs and other aquatic small animals probably make up the bulk of the diet of growing birds.

Status: Due to hunting and a reduction in extent and quality of habitat, green peafowl is evaluated asendangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. The world population has declined rapidly and the species no longer occurs in many areas of its past distribution specifically India. The last strongholds for the species are in protected areas such as Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand, Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam and Baluran National Park in Java in Indonesia. The population in the wild was estimated to be about 5000 to 10000 individuals around 1995. Although there is no natural range overlap with the Indian peafowl, hybridisation with the Indian peafowl is still a threat. The two species produce fertile hybrids and feral Indian peafowl may hybridize with wild green peafowl. In captivity hybrids are called spaulding peafowl and are used by breeders to create different breeds. Through back-crossing some hybrids become almost indistinguishable from pure green peafowl. Because some aviculturists refer to all races as java peafowl, the sub-species of green peafowl are also mixed in captivity.

Conservation: Green peafowl populations are found in many of the protected areas across the range and wide-ranging public education programmes have been held throughout China and Laos. Distribution and status surveys are necessary to establish the effects of habitat fragmentation and education programmes such as those in China and Laos should be extended into Burma and Cambodia. More protected areas would also be beneficial, but it is important to ensure that hunting bans are enforced in these areas.

If not now then never we will be able to save our national bird. Let’s create awareness of extinction of Green Peafowl and work towards raising their number high back in India!

References:

- http://en.wikipedia.org

- IUCN Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org)

- http://www.birdlife.org

- CITES (http://www.cites.org)

- Pheasants and peafowl (http://www.gbwf.org)

- BirdLife International. 2001. Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.

Rotaract Club of Dombivli – RID 3140, INDIA