The colorful Indian blue peacock (pavo cristatus) is known
for the male's impressive tail of many brilliant colors. Peacock refers to the
male, while the females are called peahens. The "peafowl" is
generally used to cover birds of both sexes. Peafowl originated in and around
India and Ceylon but when the British Empire conquered India, they spread
peafowl all over Europe and America. Suddenly, white peafowl appeared and are
bred for that color in captivity.
Misconception
White peacocks are not albinos. Albino animals and birds
have a complete lack of color and red or pink eyes. White peafowl have blue
eyes. The white color appears in other domestically bred peafowl but in
different quantities. Chicks are born yellow and become white as they mature,
according to the Peafowl Varieties Database. Indian peafowl of all colors,
including white, have pink skin.
Variations
A wide variety of color patterns have appeared in peafowl
bred in captivity. The include the white; the pied white, which is a
combination of white and the usual Indian blue colors; the blackshoulder pied,
where the coloration is normal except for white under parts, wings and a spot
under the chin and the blackshoulder peahen, which is white sprinkled with
black spots, according to the Peafowl Varieties Database.
Speculation
According to United Peafowl Association Knowledge Base, the
first color variation was the blackshoulder, which appeared in 1830. When the
white first appeared is unknown. White, pied and blackshoulder color patterns
of Indian blues are not often found in the wild. Any patches of white would
make the bird more visible to predators. The theory is that in the safety of
being in captivity, their recessive coloration genes have emerged. This has
also happened in pet birds such as the zebra finch and other animals like the
gerbil and the Syrian hamster.
Temperament
Unlike gerbils, hamsters or even zebra finches, white
peafowl act just as unpredictably as usual colored peafowl. They are not
usually tame birds, although exceptional individuals handled with care all of
their lives can occur. They will try to escape from pens, peck at or kick
anyone that tries to touch them. Male peacocks of any color pattern have an
extremely loud braying call that can be heard for miles. Peafowl of any color
can fly.
Breeding
When white peacocks are bred to white peahens, all of their
chicks will be white. White peafowl also contain the genes for blackshoulder
and pied color patterns. If mated to different colored birds the result will be
a wide variety of colors in the chicks. Peacocks breed with a harem of up to
five peahens.
