Peafowls, known for their vibrant displays, are not just limited to the India Blue variety that we’re all used to. These amazing birds come in so many different colors and varieties.
From the elegant whites to the striking cameo pieds and the mesmerizing hybrids like the Spalding, each variety offers a unique spectacle of colors and patterns.
In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at all these different peacock colors. Get ready to dive into the colorful world of peacocks and see how cool and varied these birds can be.
What Are the Different Types of Peacock Species?
Peacocks, scientifically known as peafowl, belong to the pheasant family and are known for their vibrant and iridescent feathers.
There are three main species of peafowl: the blue peacock (Pavo cristatus), the green peacock (Pavo muticus), and the Congo peacock (Afropavo congensis).
Blue Peacock (Pavo cristatus)
The blue peacock, also known as the Indian peacock, is native to India and Sri Lanka. It is adaptable to various climates, including northern winters.
This species can typically be found in forests and cultivated land areas where they eat rodents, vegetation, and even small reptiles.
Blue peacocks exhibit a body length of 35 to 50 inches and boast a train of tail feathers measuring approximately 60 inches. Their distinct call is often a warning signal for nearby predators.
Green Peacock (Pavo muticus)
The green peacock, also called the Javanese peacock, is found in Java and Myanmar. It is known for being territorial and having a more aggressive disposition, often requiring separation from other fowl in captivity.
The Javanese peacock is omnivorous and mainly consumes plants, rodents, reptiles, and amphibians. They possess a similar-sized train to blue peacocks but differ in terms of feather coloration.
Congo Peacock (Afropavo congensis)
The Congo peacock is the only large peafowl species found in Africa. It mainly inhabits the forested interior of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It is smaller in size compared to the other peafowl species. Its body length is only around 25 to 28 inches.
The Congo peafowl has distinct characteristics that differentiate it from its Asian cousins. However, this species is often mistaken for immature Asian peacocks.
If you are interested in where different types of peacocks live around the world, you can check out this informative article I came up with.
How Many Colors Do Peacocks Have?
Peacocks are renowned for their vibrant plumage, displaying a range of stunning colors. Let’s explore the different colors associated with peacocks:
1. Blue Peacock
The blue peacock, which is the most common species, exhibits predominantly metallic blue-green body feathers.
Their magnificent train of tail feathers is adorned with iridescent eyespots, ringed with blue and bronze. The vivid blue color of their head and necks is particularly eye-catching.
The male blue peacock has a metallic blue-green body with a train of long, colorful tail feathers that can reach up to 60 inches in length. The train feathers have iridescent eyespots surrounded by blue and bronze rings.
Like with most peacocks, males have more colorful plumage than females. For blue peacocks, males mostly exhibit this color, while females, known as peahens, lack the train and have a more camouflaged green and brown appearance.
Here’s a video of a blue peacock showing off its magnificent tail:
2. Green Peacock
The green peacock showcases green feathers on the head and neck. The train feathers of the green peacock resemble those of the blue peacock, with shades of green and bronze on their body feathers.
Both male and female peacocks have similar appearances, with both elongated upper-tail coverts.
However, males have a longer train with brightly-colored eyespots, while females have coverts that are usually green in color.
3. White Peacock
Indian peafowl can also exhibit genetic color mutations, including white plumage. These white peafowls lack the vibrant hues seen in their blue and green counterparts.
Aside from their white plumage, a white peafowl has a white crest, tail, train, and wings.
4. Purple Peacock
While purple is not a naturally occurring color in peacocks, some breeders have selectively bred peafowl to exhibit purple coloration.
Purple peacocks have lustrous purple feathers on their neck and breast. However, their train may exhibit a darker shade. These purple variations are not commonly found in the wild but are bred for ornamental purposes.
5. Charcoal Peacock
Charcoal-colored peafowl are not a recognized natural color variation. It may refer to dark-colored or black feathers found in certain peafowl strains resulting from selective breeding.
6. Cameo Peacock
Cameo peafowl features a unique color pattern characterized by a creamy or light-colored body with intricate patterns of darker hues, resembling the delicate design of a cameo.
This color is commonly seen in peahens, often exhibiting a dark, rusty-colored gloss on their neck along with a light brown plumage.
Meanwhile, cameo peacocks have creamy brown feathers, but their eyespots and neck are dark brown.
7. Peach Peacock
Peach-colored peafowl are bred to display soft, pastel hues of peach or light orange in their plumage.
The tail train and wings of peach peacocks may have a lighter shade. Their heads are often tan in color with white spots in some areas.
8. Opal Peacock
Opal peafowl exhibit a lustrous coloration that resembles the precious gemstone opal. Their feathers shimmer with a range of iridescent hues, including blues, greens, and purples.
Peahens have light gray plumage but lack shimmery feathers. Meanwhile, opal peacocks have dark gray necks with a sheen that appears like opal gemstones.
9. Buford Bronze Peacock
Buford Bronze is a term used to describe a distinct color variation in peafowl that displays a rich, bronze-like coloration. These peacocks were bred from Indian peafowls by Burford Abbott.
Burford Bronze peacocks sport a shimmering, dark green neck while their tail train is a lustrous, dark bronze color.
10. Midnight Peacock
Midnight peafowl refers to dark-colored variations with feathers displaying shades of black or very dark blue. This color also exhibits the black-shoulder pattern.
Midnight peafowls were also crossed with other patterns like pied and white-eye to create more unique variations.
11. Taupe Peacock
Taupe-colored peafowl exhibit a light brown or grayish-brown hue, resembling the color of taupe. This variation was created by breeding a blue peacock and a purple peahen.
To produce more varieties of taupe and keep this color mutation strong, breeders are trying to cross taupe-colored peafowls with other types with different patterns.
12. Sonja’s Violeta Peacock
Sonja’s Violeta is a specific color variation resulting from selective breeding. These peafowl display vibrant violet or purple hues in their plumage. This coloration was developed by George Conner of Conner Hills Peafowl.
13. Jade Peacock
Jade peafowl showcases a striking green coloration reminiscent of the precious gemstone jade.
It’s important to note that while some of these colors naturally occur in wild peafowl species, others result from selective breeding for ornamental purposes.
Peacock Body Patterns
Peacocks are known for their stunning body patterns, each adding to their unique beauty. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most captivating patterns:
- Barred Wing Pattern: Found in Indian peafowls, this pattern features vertical bars or stripes on the wing cover feathers, with peacocks displaying dark brown or black bars and peahens with lighter brown or beige patterns.
- Black-Shoulder Pattern: A mutation in Indian peafowls, where males have deep black feathers on their shoulders and upper back, contrasting with the plain black wings, and females show white, gray, or pale cream with random dark spots.
- Pied Pattern: This pattern mixes white and colored feathers for a piebald or spotted look, with the amount of white varying from a few feathers to about half of the bird’s body.
- Silver Pied Pattern: Characterized by a white peafowl with 10 to 20 percent colored feathers plus the white-eye gene, males may appear mostly white with some color on the neck, upper breast, and tail, while females are white with silver-gray and white colors.
- White-Eye Pattern: Features white ocelli or “eyes” on the tail feathers, more prominent in males; females, lacking the train, show this pattern less distinctly. A mix of patterns, such as pied white-eye, is also common.
These patterns highlight the stunning diversity peacocks bring to the natural world, and they show just how unique and varied peacocks can be.
Peacock Varieties
Peafowls exhibit a stunning array of unique combinations of species, colors, and patterns, resulting in various varieties. The varieties are formed when different combinations of species, colors, and patterns come together.
Some well-known peacock varieties include Indian blues, whites, cameo pieds, and hybrids resulting from the cross between Indian blue and green species.
The foundation of peacock varieties lies in the two widely occurring species of peafowl: Indian blue and green.
Later, the hybrid bird known as the Spalding was created by breeding a blue and a green peacock together, which is now considered its own variety.
As color mutations and patterns occur, the number of peacock varieties multiplies.
For example, color mutations like white, purple, cameo, charcoal, opal, bronze, peach, midnight, and jade can be crossed with the green species, resulting in varieties like white spalding, cameo spalding, and more.
Additionally, body patterns further differentiate varieties, including barred wings, black-shoulder, pied, silver-pied, and white-eyed patterns.
Combinations of these patterns with various colors create even more unique peacock varieties.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Rarest Color of Peacocks?
White peacocks are considered the rarest peacock color variation, making them one of the most expensive as well.
They are derived from Indian peafowl species. However, note that they differ from albino peacocks as they are not a product of albinism.
They are produced from a genetic mutation called leucism, which results in the loss of pigmentation in their plumage.
Are There Red Peacocks?
As of now, there are no records of real red peacocks. Reliable sources, such as the United Peafowl Organization, do not recognize red as one of the natural color varieties of peacocks.
However, with ongoing scientific observations and new mutations developed by breeders, it is always possible that a real red peacock could be discovered in the future.
Are There Purple Peacocks?
Although they exist, purple peacocks are not a recognized natural color variation in peacocks. They are a product of color mutation during the breeding process.
Purple peacocks normally exhibit purple coloration on their neck and chest area.
Are There Blue Peacocks?
Yes, blue peacocks, scientifically known as Indian peafowl, are one of the most common and popular species of peafowl.
The male Indian peafowl, commonly referred to as peacocks, are known for their striking iridescent blue plumage and long tail feathers, which they display during courtship rituals to attract peahens.
The blue peacock is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and is revered in Indian art and culture as the national bird of India.
Intrigued by the vibrant world of peacock colors and patterns? We’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with these magnificent birds, so please feel free to share your comments below.
2 comments
I have a question. Do India Blue peacocks have any white feathers on them?
Hi there! Great question. Typically, India Blue peacocks don’t have white feathers — they’re known for their vibrant blue and green plumage. If you see one with white feathers, it’s likely due to a genetic variation or selective breeding, not the norm for the species.