Peacock Was Strutting His Stuff!

Once the peacock at Panhandle Pioneer Settlement came out of the shelter, here he perched in all his glory.

He turned for us to get the full effect.

I read that the peafowl are native to India and Burma, with slight differences between the two. This male is an Indian as it has blue feathers on much of its body. 

Looking closer, the skin is also blue on the head.

There is ongoing discussion on how the  peacock came to have such a magnificent tail and exactly what purpose it serves. Some are convinced it is to attract the female. The peahen that he may have been displaying for seemed unimpressed. However, it did appear that he was using it to corral her. 

I was amused that the chicken wire framed many of the "eyes" on the feathers. (You will have to click on the picture below to see that.)

I also read that the raised tail feathers  can direct sound to the male's tiny ears much as a cupped hand can for humans. 

I did not expect to find these feathers revealed when the long ones were lifted.

Any way you look at it, it is an amazing animal!