WINTER’S WILDLIFE Peacock to get a feather in cap
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The magnificent peacock, with its iridescent plumes and flamboyant tail, is winging its way towards becoming a full-blooded official British bird.
Absurd as it may seem, there are now so many of these raucous and exuberant exhibitionists at large in the countryside that there is at last talk of recognition by the ornithological authorities.
A new report in British Birds journal not only details the current status of “wild” Indian peafowl – to use the correct species name – but also appeals to birdwatchers to log all sightings to build up an accurate picture of its nationwide status.
Throughout history the Indian peafowl has been venerated for its hypnotic courtship display. Shimmering blue ‘ocelli’ – the technical name for its decorative tail markings – are said to represent the “all-seeing eye”. Sacred to Hindus, hailed by Assyrian warriors and revered by the Ancient Greeks, the peacock has spread its range worldwide by becoming a status symbol for the rich and powerful.
Aristocrat Sir John de Foxley brought the first peafowl to Britain from the Holy Land in the 14th Century. And over the next few hundred years, no selfrespecting aristocrat would be without the birds as ostentatious decorations on their country estates.
Like other ornamental species, such as the Egyptian goose and mandarin duck, Indian peafowl have shown a propensity to escape captivity and establish themselves as nesting birds.
The British Birds report from the Rare Breeding Birds Panel states that 17 out of 39 UK county recorders reported peafowl as occurring “in the wild” during the 2015–20 period. Up to 96 sites have been catalogued with free-ranging birds, and one area in Oxfordshire has had a feral population for at least 70 years.
There are proposals in some quarters that the Indian peafowl be added to the ‘C’ category of the British Ornithologists’ Union official British List – giving them the same status as introduced little owls, red-legged partridge and ring-necked parakeets.
And so allowing birdwatchers to tick them off their precious personal lists.
It spread its range worldwide to be status symbol for the rich