Fun Peahen Facts For Kids

A female peafowl is known as a peahen, they have greyish-brown color feathers, a greenish slender neck, and iridescent eyes. A female peafowl has a crest on top of its head and has greenish plumage on its slender neck. A male peafowl is known as a peacock, males are often considered to be more beautiful than peahens, due to their colorful feathers.

The peahen's origin is in the Indian subcontinent but the peafowl has been introduced to the rest of the world by humans, and now they can be found all over the world (anywhere with a dry climate with a high enough temperature). It is extremely rare for peafowl birds to survive in cold weather, and peafowl is most often found in open forests. They tend to stay together in groups called musters. During their breeding season, a female peafowl does not mind sharing a male with other females but male peafowl do not want to share their mates with others.

If you enjoy our fun facts about peahen animals, you might also want to read our articles on the puffin and the nightingale too!
 

What type of animal is a peahen?

The peahen (Pavo cristatus) is the name for females in a group of peafowls. A male peafowl is known as a peacock, and baby peafowls are called peachicks. A male peafowl is also known as cock, and a female is known as a hen.

What class of animal does a peahen belong to?

The peahen (Pavo cristatus) belongs to the Aves class of birds. The Aves class consists solely of birds and belongs to the family of Ardeidae. These birds are known to be warm-blooded vertebrates that are characterized by their feathers, laying hard-shelled eggs, their toothless beaked jaws, their four-chambered hearts, and a lightweight yet strong skeleton.

How many peahens are there in the world?

The population of peahens and peafowls varies depending on different subspecies. For example, the total population of Indian peafowls is over 100,000 and in 2016 the population of adult Congo peafowls was less than 20,000. Green peafowls are considered an endangered species with a total population of between 2,500-10,000 individuals.

Where does a peahen live?

Peahens are usually found in open forests. They build their nest by sweeping the ground until there is a hole deep enough for them to lay eggs in. A peacock's nests can be found among lots of leaves and debris, as they lay their eggs in the nest and then protect it from others.

What is a peahen's habitat?

Peafowls are originally from the Indian subcontinent, and today they are found in dry areas where water is easily available. Peafowl birds can also easily adapt to live in farmlands and around human habitation. This Indian bird was introduced to other parts of the world by humans, and it can now be found in Mexico, Colombia, Suriname, Uruguay, South Africa, Madagascar, Indonesia, Australia, Croatia, the United States, Honduras, Guyana, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Some Peafowls are also seen to adapt to the extreme weather of Canada.

Who do peahens live with?

Peahens are found in small groups, which are known as 'musters'. Their flock usually consists of a harem of three to five peahens and a single peacock, but after breeding, the peacock leaves the flock and only peahens and peachicks are left. Peafowls are also found walking in groups and dust-bathing together at dusk.

How long does a peahen live?

A peahen's lifespan is between 10-25 years in the wild. With proper care and a healthy diet, their lifespan can be prolonged to up to 30 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

Peafowls become sexually mature at the age of three years old, and their mating season depends on rain. During the breeding season in the wild, peacocks acquire a small territory right next to each other, peacocks then display their beautiful tails by raising the upper tail and revealing an arched fan. Only females are allowed to visit the males, not the other way around. After mating with a male, a female falls pregnant, and only females are the carers for the eggs until they hatch.

What is their conservation status?

There are three species of peafowls: Indian peafowl, green peafowl, and Congo peafowl. The conservation status is different for each of the different subspecies, for example, the Indian peahen is listed as Least Concern, the green peafowl is listed as Endangered, and the Congo peafowl is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.

What do peahens look like?

Peahens (Pavo cristatus) can grow up to a length of 37 in (95 cm), and peahens do not have the long beautiful tail train that is associated with peacocks. Peahens are a mixture of grey and brown in color, and peahens are usually smaller than peacocks. A peahen's feathers are softer than those of a peacock and are brownish-grey in color. They have iridescent eyes, and their crest is stiff.

How cute are they?

A peacock is considered to be more attractive than a peahen. Peacocks are known to have 1,000 'eyes' (the eye-like pattern on their feathers) and have a green, blue, and gold feature tail that is bigger than their entire body. A peahen is more of a mixture of brown and grey, with a greenish slender neck.

How do they communicate?

Peahens use various ways to communicate, such as creating a loud noise to indicate danger or to intimidate other peafowls while defending their territory. They are known to be one of the loudest birds in existence. Peacocks, on the other hand, use their tails to display and attract peahens.

How big is a peahen?

A peahen is the name of a female peafowl, who are smaller in size than male peafowls. An adult weighs about 8.8 lb (4 kg). Peahens are the second largest bird of Phasianidae species.

How fast can a peahen run?

Peahens can run at a speed of around 10 mph (16 kph). Whilst they can fly, peahens prefer to run on the ground to escape when a predator attacks rather than flying away.

How much does a peahen weigh?

An adult peahen weighs up to 6.1-8.8 lb (2.7-4 kg). A peahen is usually smaller than a male peafowl (known as a peacock).

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male peafowl is called a peacock, whereas a female peafowl is called a peahen.

What would you call a baby peahen?

Baby peahens are called peachicks, and the incubation period for them lasts 28-30 days. After hatching, peacock newborns follow their mothers, and sometimes chicks climb on top of their mothers so that they can fly and carry their peachicks to a safer environment.

What do they eat?

Peafowls are omnivores by nature, so their diet consists of plants, berries, lizards, reptiles, and small rodents. A peafowl can basically eat anything that fits its beak, which includes all types of insects and small rodents.

Are they aggressive?

Peafowls are not very aggressive but they are very protective of their territory and their chicks. When a peafowl calls it produces a loud noise and they do this if they spot a predator or when defending their territory. During mating season male peafowls will attack other males if they are intruded on. After laying eggs, a peahen will attack anyone who gets close to her nest.

Would they make a good pet?

The green peafowl is an endangered species, so it is illegal to keep them as a pet.

Did you know...

Only males are known as peacocks, a female peafowl is known as a peahen and a young chick peafowl is known as a peachick.

A group of peafowl birds is known as a 'muster'. Musters are often quite small, including between three to five females and a single male.

Peacocks are not born with gorgeous tails, males start growing long and colorful tails after the age of three.

A peacock's feather can grow up to 6 ft (182.9 cm) long making it 60% of its body length! Even with a large tail peacocks can fly but not a long distance.

Due to a genetic mutation in peacocks, sometimes they lose their pigments and turn white in color.

A great fact about the peafowl species is that peacocks are the national bird of India. These Indian birds are protected by both law and religion in India, Sri Lanka, and other parts of Asia.

These Indian birds were once hunted for their plumage and meat.

Do peahens display?

Peahens display their tails when they feel threatened or when they feel excited. Displaying by a hen of this species can also be a sign of danger.

What is a family of peafowl called?

A family of peafowl is a small group known as a 'muster'. This typically consists of one peacock and three to five peahens. After the eggs hatch and the breeding season has ended, males leave the muster, and only females and young chicks remain.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including the greater sage-grouse, or the gray partridge.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our peahen coloring pages.