The main decoration and pride of the peacock is its breathtaking tail. Although there is a small correction here. What we take for a tail are actually highly developed covert feathers. Here's how. But it's not all surprises.

Looking at peacocks, you might think that this genus of birds has many species, they can be so different in color and structure. But that's not true. In the genus Peacocks (lat. Pavo) there are only 2 species: the common peacock ( Pavo cristatus) and green peacock ( Pavo muticus). The Congolese or African peacock stands a little apart ( Afropavo congensis), which is endemic to the African continent and belongs to the genus of Congolese peacocks. There are significant differences between the two genera, both in appearance and in reproduction.

Common peacock

The rest of the variety of appearance of peacocks is just a result various options coloring common peacock, including the white peacock.

White peacock

This is general information. Now I propose to get to know each species better.

1. Common or Indian peacock (lat. Pavo cristatus)

This species was first discovered in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. It was called Indian because of its place of residence - the tropical forests and jungles of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In addition, it has another name - blue. And all because his head, neck and part of his chest are painted blue. The back is green and the underparts are black. Females are smaller in size and not as brightly colored. Plus, they don’t have that gorgeous “tail” that nature has awarded the males.

Common or Indian peacock (lat. Pavo cristatus)

Males have the following dimensions: body length - 100-120 cm, tail - 40-50 cm, and elongated upper tail coverts (that same chic “tail”) - 120-160 cm. On the head there is a bunch of their rod feathers with edging at the ends .

In India, and among Hindus in general, the peacock is considered a sacred bird and therefore is allowed to roam wherever it pleases. It feeds fearlessly near settlements and in rice fields. But such a neighborhood can only be tolerated by those who really love and revere this bird, because, despite its beauty, their singing can hardly be called sweet-voiced. Often at night, sharp, piercing screams are heard, which can greatly frighten unaccustomed tourists.

Usually their songs can be heard before a thunderstorm or the onset of monsoons, and during the rainy season they begin mating games, in which the males are happy to show the females everything they are capable of. As a result, it turns out that their screams are in any way connected with the rain. Therefore, some locals believe that these sacred birds call for rainfall.

In addition, in the thicket of the forest, the peacock is the main informant about the approach of large predators. Seeing them from afar, sitting comfortably on a tree, they begin to emit alarming signals.

Peacocks are also excellent snake repellents. Not far from human settlements, they happily hunt young cobras. That's why the locals love them very much. In addition to snakes, they feed on seeds, green parts, roots and fruits of plants, as well as various spiders, insects and small amphibians.

With the arrival of the rainy season, peacocks begin their mating season (April-September). At this time, the male begins to arrange a mating dance in front of the female, and does it as if he realizes all his attractiveness and irresistibility.

He does not run after the female, but slowly spreads his “tail” and begins to shake it lightly, while emitting calling signals for the female. At this time, she pretends not to notice him and continues to go about her business. Then the male suddenly turns his back on her. This behavior of the gentleman clearly does not suit her and she has to get around the male. He turns away from her again. And this continues over and over again until the female peacock (peahen) gives her consent to create a pair.

Mating dance

Back of a peacock

The male performs such dances in front of several females. In total, his harem can contain up to 5 females. Each of them then lays from 4 to 10 eggs in a nest, in the form of a small hole. In captivity they can lay up to 3 clutches per year. After 28 days, the chicks hatch. Up to 1.5 years, the male is very similar to the female; long tail feathers begin to grow only after 3 years.

2. Green or Javan peacock (lat. Pavo muticus)

Another species of Asian peacocks. It lives in Southeast Asia, in the territory from the northeastern part of India to western Malaysia and about. Java.

Green or Javan peacock (lat. Pavo muticus)

It differs from the ordinary peacock in color and size. The green peacock is somewhat larger. The length of its body can reach 2-2.5 meters, the length of the tail feathers is 140-160 cm. The color is bright green with a metallic tint; reddish and yellow spots can be seen on the chest. The legs are slightly longer, and the head is decorated with a small crest of fully pubescent feathers. His voice is not as sharp and loud as his brother's.

Male and female Javan palin

The number of green peacocks is much less than usual. A particular decline occurred in the second half of the 20th century. Now it is protected and listed in the International Red Book under the status of “vulnerable”. It is the national symbol of Myanmar.

Males are very aggressive towards other peacocks and other members of the pheasant family. Therefore, they are advised to be kept in a separate enclosure. They can also attack people, especially if they decide that their females are in danger. In this regard, breeding these birds in captivity is a very troublesome and problematic task.

3. Congolese or African peacock (Afropavo congensis)

The official discovery of this species occurred quite late, only in 1936. The credit goes to scientist James Chapin. At the very beginning of the 20th century, he and another scientist went to Africa for okapi, but failed to catch this animal. But they took with them the headdresses of local hunters, richly decorated with feathers of various birds. Almost all feathers except one had their owners identified. Who owned the remaining feather remains a mystery.

In 1936, at the Belgian Congo Museum, Chapin completed his research work. Quite by accident, he looked into one of the old cabinets with long-forgotten exhibits and found there a stuffed bird with exactly the same feathers, which he could not identify in the headdress.

Initially, this bird was mistaken for a young peacock and was safely forgotten. But it turned out that these birds, although they are relatives of the ordinary peacock, belong to a completely different genus. As a result, they got their name as the African or Congolese peacock.

These birds live in the Congo River basin and in the forests of Zaire at an altitude of 350-1500 meters.

Compared to other peacocks, they do not have that beautiful “tail”, and their size is small. The body length of males is only 64-70 cm, while females are 60-63 cm. The color is dark, there is an orange-red spot on the throat, and purple feathers are located on the chest. There is also a “crown” on the head.

Compared to other peacocks, the African peacock is monogamous. The female incubates only 2-3 eggs, from which chicks hatch after 3-4 weeks. They live with their parents for up to 2 months.

Peacocks have long been used in households. Even during the time of Alexander the Great, who contributed to their appearance in European countries, peacocks were bred not only for their wonderful feathers, but also for their meat. But at the end of the 15th century, dishes made from peacock meat were replaced by more tasty turkey.

Tropical birds have always aroused great interest among both ornithologists and ordinary wildlife lovers. The first thing that catches your eye when you see such a bird is its bright, exotic color. I awarded them this color nature so that these creatures can easily camouflage among tropical plants. Another reason why nature has endowed these birds with beautiful plumage is to attract a partner during the mating season. Which unusual birds known to mankind?

In ancient times, and even today, to have in a house or yard beautiful exotic bird- a sign of status. Loud-voiced canaries, luxurious peacocks, crowned pheasants and unusual bright parrots were a sign of the excellent taste of their owners.

What do they look like and what are they remarkable for? The most interesting of their representatives will be discussed below.

Tropical birds: what is known about them

Main habitat exotic birds- This is a hot climate, the tropics, where there is high humidity and fairly little precipitation. They feed on fruits, berries and other tropical plants, as well as nuts and small insects.

The world knows about 3,000 species of such birds, and many of them are included in the Red Book. Due to deforestation in the Amazon, Madagascar, Sumatra, as well as Colombia, Central America and Southeast Asia, many tropical birds are on the verge of extinction.

The most famous exotic birds

Science knows many species of exotic birds, and the rarest, most beautiful and common birds will be described below.

Large birds

Medium and large birds include the following:

Small and miniature birds

Among the exotic representatives there are often small birds, for example:

All these representatives are very beautiful and are of great importance for nature, but many of them are on the verge of extinction due to deforestation. Moreover, not all of them capable of breeding in captivity, therefore, humanity needs to treat them more carefully and stop destroying their habitat.

Birds straight from the pages of fairy tales

Long-tailed velvet weaver

These South African birds get their name from their black color and very long tail, which develops like a ribbon in flight. The tail of males can reach 16 cm, which is twice the length of their body. Unlike males, females have a rather inconspicuous sandy-black color. Males, especially during the breeding season, attract attention with their beautiful plumage.

Brilliant painted painter

During the breeding season, males are blue. At other times of the year, they are practically no different from females in their plumage. The upper part of the body becomes pale brown and the lower part white, but the tail and wings remain blue. As for the relationships between individuals of different sexes, they are very peculiar. Despite the fact that these birds are essentially monogamous and even form pairs, they are still promiscuous, mating with other individuals. At the same time, they assist in raising the chicks that appear as a result of such meetings. To attract the attention of a female, males tear bright flower petals and show them to the females.

Royal flyeater

There are 4 species of the royal flyeater, and each of them has a crest that resembles a fan: a kind of “crown”, which, however, can only be noticed during the period of courtship of a female and during competition with other males.

Scaly bird of paradise

They live in the forests of New Guinea. When this bird species was first introduced to Europe, people thought they weren't real. It's all about the unusual feathers that decorate the heads of males. These birds are solitary by nature and never form pairs. Thus, the raising of the chicks occurs without any participation from the male.

Quetzal

Many people believe that these are the most beautiful birds in the world. The quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, and even the currency in this country is named after it. Once upon a time, the Mayan Indians worshiped this bird, considering it sacred. Their feathers were practically priceless, and only leaders and priests were allowed to wear them as decoration.

Lilac-breasted Roller

This bird got its name for its impressive courtship of a female in flight, during which the male, having risen to a considerable height, circles high speed rushes into the water, making loud noises. They live in savannas and farmlands in eastern and southern Africa.

Inca tern

These are amazing seabirds with mustaches they build nests on the rocky coasts of Chile and Peru. Interestingly, the Inca tern, having a rather expressive appearance, is also distinguished by his singing. Birds make sounds that resemble a cat's meow. These representatives of the tern family feed on fish. They are endangered.

Curly-haired arasari

This bird belongs to the toucan family and gets its name from the feathers on its head. They are twirled like ribbons on a wrapped gift.

Blue-capped Tanager

There are three subspecies of these birds, which differ primarily in the plumage in the neck and head. They live in lowland areas of tropical forests in eastern South America. They usually live in pairs or groups. Their diet includes fruits, however, when there is not enough fruit, they will not miss the opportunity to feast on insects.

Blue-headed magnificent bird of paradise

This is another magnificent bird that can be easily identified by its curling tail feathers and unique coloring. The turquoise “crown” on the male’s head is not actually feathers, but a patch of bare skin.

Guiana cock of the rock

The wreath in the form of a semicircle on the head of these birds is formed by two rows of feathers. It always remains visible and does not disappear after the mating season, as often happens in other bird species.

Lilac-capped painted painter

Their singing differs from the singing of other fairies because it sounds at a lower frequency and is performed, as a rule, in a duet.

Livingston's turaco

These birds belong to the turakov family, which literally means “banana eaters.” Despite this name, they do not eat bananas.

Shiny Cotinga

This species of bird with a bright turquoise-blue color lives in the Amazon rainforest. They are usually quiet unless disturbed by predators. But, as is usually the case in the world of birds, the females are less fortunate: they have a gray-brown color with dark spots.

Bare-throated bell-ringer

The bare-throated bellbird lives in the Atlantic Forest of South America and has one of the loudest voices.

Indian Hornbill

This bird is easy to recognize thanks to the peculiar “helmet” on its beak. The indigenous tribes of central India believed that the skull of a hornbill brought wealth.

Collared Trogon

This species of trogon can be found on the island of Borneo. They live in pairs or alone, and nest in tree hollows. Interesting fact: Collared Trogons have a habit of sitting motionless for long periods of time, only darting off to grab an insect or pick a berry. They are endangered.

Momot blue-browed

Momots live in Central America. They are not born with the racquets that characterize their family. The feathers are loosely attached to the body and fall off as they mature.

Malaysian blue-tailed pita

This is one of three species of blue-tailed pittas, which were previously classified as a single species. However, they were separated due to external and vocal differences.

Red-billed Alcyone

Alcyone builds nests in tunnels on steep river banks and road edges, digging holes 50 cm deep. The food source is insects, rodents, fish, snails and even songbirds.

Little Sultana

You can meet the Sultana in the southeastern United States, in the central and northern parts of South America. This bird species lives in swamps with dense vegetation.

Magnificent astrapia

This is one of 41 species birds of paradise, which can only be found in the mountains of New Guinea.

Kea

The world's only mountain parrots can be found on the south island of New Zealand. These large birds are known for their intelligence and curiosity.

South American night heron

You can easily recognize the South American night heron by its white plumage, black cap on its head and bright blue beak. However, you are unlikely to hear them, since their screams are very quiet.

Filamentous bird of paradise

These birds live on the eastern and western coasts of New Guinea and the island of Salavati, where they settle mainly in mountainous areas, living in families or flocks. To attract a mate, males dance and groom with their 12 wire-like side feathers. They feed on the sap of flowers, such as the sago palm or pizang.

Horned Hummingbird

Hummingbirds of this species can be found in South America. Only males have a bright “horn” that shimmers in different colors.

Red-bearded bee-eater

These birds live in southeast Asia. They catch bees and other insects on the fly. By hitting the insect on a hard surface several times in a row, they get rid of the sting. This allows you to remove almost all the poison. Red-bearded bee-eaters nest in burrows on the slopes of sandy shores and, unlike other species of bee-eaters, do not live in colonies.

Adapted from news.distractify.com; translation and adaptation by Ekaterina Mylnikova|

Distinctive feature tropical birds- This is a bright color. First of all, this coloring is due to the fact that it hides among green foliage and colorful flowers. Many tropical plants have bright colors, making it easy for birds to hide from predators.

The second reason is to attract a partner during the mating season. The colorful plumage, which has many shades, is a real decoration; no one will remain indifferent.

Exactly tropical(exotic) birds were real decorations of a house or farmstead. It was considered excellent taste to have crowned, bright, sweet-voiced birds of paradise. They were not only pleasing to the eye, but could become real talking friends ().

Habitat birds living in tropical forests, due to the hot climate, high humidity and low precipitation. Birds are concentrated in places where there is food for them - these are fruits, seeds, nuts, berries and small insects.

There are now more than 3 thousand in the world tropical birds. Many of them are on the verge of extinction due to massive deforestation in the Amazon, Colombia, Central America, Sumatra, and Southeast Asia. Often titlestropical birds given from the place of residence or from the first impression made, then they only appropriated scientific names.

Toucan bird

The Quezal was considered a sacred bird among the Mayans and Aztecs. Previously, they numbered a large number of individuals, but are now on the verge of extinction. They cannot be bred in captivity.

In the photo there is a quezal bird

Multicolored lorikeet

The multicolored lorikeet belongs to the family. The bird is up to 30 cm long and has a variety of colors throughout its body. The head and lower part of the body are bright blue, the sides and neck are yellow.

The upper part, wings and tail are bright green. A fairly common bird, it lives in Australia, Goali Island, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Tasmania. Settles in tropical high-trunk forests.

They are widespread on the east coast of Australia. They adapt well and are willingly tamed by people. They feed on berries, seeds, fruits and greens. They live up to 20 years, which is why you can often see lorikeets at exhibitions, circuses and pet stores.

Multicolored lorikeet

hummingbird bird

Miniature and agile birds have a long, sharp beak in order to get as close to the flower as possible. But in addition to the long beak, the bird also has a long tongue, with which it easily extracts nectar. The plumage contains various bright colors; it is quite difficult to distinguish a male from a female.

In the photo there is a hummingbird bird

Red cardinal

A medium-sized bird, up to 20-23 cm long. The male is slightly larger than the female, painted in a bright crimson color, with a black mask on his face. The female is light brown in color, with bright red splashes. The beak is strong, cone-shaped, and can easily peel off the bark to reach insects. The legs are painted pink, the pupils are dark brown.

Habitat is the eastern United States. However, three centuries ago the bird was introduced to Hawaii, Bermuda and California. It quickly caught on and is widespread. The Cardinal has a wonderful baritone, his trills resemble those of a nightingale, sometimes called the “Virginian nightingale.”

Cardinal bird

Crowned Crane

The crowned crane is a large bird of the real family. Lives in East and West Africa. If the drought lasts for a very long time, they migrate closer to the tropics, into dense forests.

The bird has a height of up to 1 meter, a wingspan of up to 2 meters. The body plumage is mostly black or gray-black. The main advantage is the fluffy crest, consisting of golden feathers. The wing feathers are often white or milky in color.

The crane leads a sedentary lifestyle, feeding on plant and animal food. The breeding season occurs during the rainy season. Prefers marshy areas and does not disdain farm or agricultural land.

Pictured is a crowned crane

If you look carefully photo of tropical birds, then they are all united by the brightness of the colors in the plumage. Many of them are on the verge of extinction because they are friendly and trusting by nature. Some species cannot be bred in captivity. Taking good care of and stopping the deforestation of tropical forests will help preserve exotic birds.

Madison, Wisconsin
11.03.2017.

Today is bird Thursday and I’ll start the story about the trip to Madison with a botanical
garden, or rather its feathered inhabitants. In a tropical glass pyramid
greenhouses of the capital's botanical garden all year round grow, bloom and bear fruit
dozens of exotic plant species.

Summer always reigns here and you can hear the singing of birds. They fly freely under the transparent
roof, hide in the crowns of palm trees, in thickets of bamboo and other tropical
plants and are not at all afraid of people. This time the lens caught my eye: wavy
astrild, canaries and a motley hen called the common quail.

Wavy Astrild, a bird of the finch family with a bright red beak and red
stripe running near the eyes. It lives in South Africa, Madagascar,
as well as on the islands of Cape Verde and St. Helena. There are four of them in this photo,
but I couldn’t get a closer picture of this bird. All the photos I took
as they approached, they were out of focus.

But I was pleased with the canaries and therefore will tell you about them in more detail.

The homeland of the canary, as its name suggests, is the Canary Islands.
Canaries inhabit the islands included in the Canary archipelago: Tenerife, La Gomera,
Palma, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, etc. In 1473, Spanish sailors, for the first time
Having landed in these territories, we appreciated all the richness of the islands, their flora and fauna.

There is a legend that canaries appeared in Europe thanks to a shipwreck:
A Spanish ship carrying birds was wrecked near Italy.
After the spread of canaries in Italy, the birds began to enter Germany,
and from there to other European countries. In Germany, more than 25
varieties of canaries. The most famous is the Tyrolean canary,
distinguished by outstanding vocal abilities.

From Germany, canaries began to spread to Russia, North America and Australia.
In addition to yellow canaries, there are also birds with white, brown, blue and even
red plumage. Canaries are tireless singers; in the process of selection, their voice has undergone
significant changes, and vocal abilities have only improved. The canary can imitate
the singing of other birds and even the sound of musical instruments, but only male canaries sing.
In the video you can hear this bird singing.

And the smallest representative of the Pheasant order, the common quail.

The bird's motley plumage blended with the surrounding landscape and it was not easy to
to make out. In addition, the bird rotated its head at a speed of one hundred revolutions per minute,
I took a dozen and a half shots of which only three were successful.

Common quail migrant, which has 8 subspecies found
in Eurasia and Africa. Most species of partridge live in North America,
quail is no exception. Quails are good flyers - they fly from northern
areas to Africa and South Asia.

The meat of this small bird is very valuable, so they are hunted, and the eggs
Quails are superior to chicken in many nutrients.
In Central Asia, it is believed that quail brings wealth and prosperity during that time.
house where he is kept in a cage.

And one more interesting fact: in Ancient Egypt the image of a quail
used as a hieroglyph for the sounds "v" and "u".

More details about the botanical garden in subsequent stories.