What Do Peacocks Eat?

What do peacocks eat?

What Do Peacocks Eat? Peacocks are flashy birds renowned for their magnificent and colorful tail plumage. These birds are famous because of how they show off their tail feathers lined with blue-green eyes.

Though both sexes are termed “peacocks“, technically, peacocks are male versions of the peafowls while the females are referred to as peahens. A peacock’s diet is varied thanks to them being opportunistic feeders.

Peacocks are omnivores, meaning they will eat just about anything they find in their way. Peacocks eat insects, other arthropods, small reptiles, amphibians, seeds, flowers, other plant parts, and they also scavenge for food.

What Do Peacocks Eat?

Scientists have described 3 species of peacocks. Their diets are described below, as well as their habitats.

Type of Peacock Diet
Indian Peacock Terrestrial worms, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Plant foods include roots, tubers, fruits, grains, nuts, and flowers.
Green Peacock Variety of insects, plants, seeds, shoots, seeds, reptiles, amphibians, and worms.
Congo Peacock Insects and other invertebrate species.

Peacocks Diets by Types

What Do Indian Peacocks Eat?

Kingdom Order Family Genus Species
Animalia Galliformes Phasianidae Pavo Pavo cristatus

What do Indian peacocks eat?Indian peacock is omnivorous feeding on terrestrial worms, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Their plant foods include roots, tubers, fruits, grains, nuts, and flowers.

  • As the name suggests, the Indian peacock is endemic to India and Sri Lanka. Still, it can also be spotted in Pakistan, Java, Ceylon, Malaya, and Burma, among other places. This species is predominantly blue.
  • White peacocks are classified as genetic variants of the Indian (blue) peafowl. Their white color is attributed to a genetic mutation dubbed leucism, which causes the lack of pigment in their plumage.
  • They inhabit savannah, grassland, mountains, rainforests, and other kinds of forests.

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What Do Green Peacocks Eat?

Kingdom Order Family Genus Species
Animalia Galliformes Phasianidae Pavo Pavo muticus

What do Green peacocks eat?The green peacock is omnivorous like other peafowls, feeding on a variety of insects, plants, seeds, shoots, seeds, reptiles, amphibians, and worms.

  • The green peafowl is an endangered species whose numbers have shrunk over the years.
  • It is mostly found in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia.
  • Its habitat types include forests, savannah, grassland, shrubland, and terrestrial lands.

What Do Congo Peacocks Eat?

Kingdom Order Family Genus Species
Animalia Galliformes Phasianidae Afropavo Afropavo congensis

What do Congo peacocks eat?The Congo peacock feeds on fruits found in common tree types in its ecosystem, insects, and other invertebrate species.

  • This peacock is native to the Eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially in the regions between Lomami and Congo Rivers.
  • This species inhabits terrestrial lands or forests next to slopes and watersheds.

How Do Peacocks Hunt?

How do peacocks hunt?

For peacocks, hunting is facilitated by their excellent vision and hearing.

  • Peacocks use these senses to find their prey (fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians).
  • Once they spot their prey, they grab them with their beaks and proceed to eat them.
  • These large birds find their food mostly on the ground. In other instances, they may fly up and roost in a high area.
  • They do this to get a good view of a particular area. Peacocks’ good eyesight comes in handy to help them spot prey at a distance.
  • Upon identifying their prey, they fly down to the area; they spot an unsuspecting victim to ambush and consume it.

When Do Peacocks Eat?

When do peacocks eat?

Peacocks forage the ground during the day to find food, meaning they are diurnal feeders. During this time, they eat just about anything that comes nearby, which may include insects, snails, frogs, grass, and seeds.

How often do Peacocks Eat?

How often do peacocks eat?

Peacocks tend to eat very often. The fact that their food is readily available on the ground makes this easier for them.

  • Further, these organisms require high amounts of protein every day to remain healthy.
  • As a result, they will frequently be seen foraging for insects that provide the protein they need.

Do Peacocks Eat Snakes?

Yes, of course. Peacocks do eat snakes. Peacocks usually stalk small reptiles, such as tiny snakes. They grab and kill the snake by its neck and shake it violently until it is dead. Peacocks do not like any small reptiles near their territories or nesting area.

Do Peacocks Eat Rattlesnakes?

Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes. Generally, eating snakes is not toxic for peacocks unless the snakes are infected by parasites, bacteria, and viruses or contaminated, which can cause several problems to peacocks’ health.

Do Peacocks Eat Rats?

Yes. Since peacocks in the forest are omnivorous, they eat both plant matter and small animals such as millipedes, centipedes, termites, rats, mice, and frogs.

What Eats Peacocks?

What eats peacocks? Leopards

Peacocks have been noted to be almost defenseless, making them susceptible to predators.

  • Some of the organisms that prey on peacocks include tigers, civets, jaguars, leopards, jackals, dholes, raccoons, mongooses, and wild dogs.
  • According to several sightings, peafowls sometimes eat their eggs by cracking the shell with its beak and then eating the yolk.
  • Humans also prey on peacocks for their meat and eggs.

Where Do Peacocks fit in the Animal Food Chain?

Peacocks in animal food chain

Peacocks are vital in the terrestrial animal food chain.

  • These organisms are food to organisms like jackals, large birds, and wild dogs and cats.
  • Thanks to this role, they can provide the necessary protein to the organisms that consume them, thus promoting their survival.
  • Peacocks play an essential role as predators. They feed on a vast range of organisms like insects, venomous snakes, lizards, worms, and amphibians. By feeding on these organisms, they help regulate their populations in their local environment. This is imperative in maintaining the existence of a stable environment.
  • Peacocks are also scavengers; some will attempt to find a share of this easy food. In their role as scavengers, they break down organic matter and further recycle it in the ecosystem as vital nutrients.
  • Additionally, thanks to their scavenging role, they clear the ecosystem providing more space for other animals to propagate.

In general, the presence of peacocks in the environment confirms the existence of a thriving ecosystem.

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BioExplorer.net. (2024, March 28). What Do Peacocks Eat?. Bio Explorer. https://www.bioexplorer.net/what-do-peacocks-eat.html/.
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Key References
  • “Types of Peacocks | Sciencing”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “Peacocks | National Geographic”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “ADW: Pavo cristatus: INFORMATION”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “(PDF) Diet Preferences and General Behavior of Peafowls in Captive Environment”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “Photo Ark: Green Peafowl | National Geographic Society”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “IUCN Red List of Threatened Species”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “Resource Library – Other Animal Information – Peacock”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “Habits of Peacocks” – Sciencing. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.
  • “Peacocks Are Killed by What Kinds of Animals?”. Accessed July 24, 2019. Link.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I can also tell you, Peacocks love cat food and seem to thrive off of it. I have two wild males, three females and now three babies. All very friendly to me. Only one egg didn’t hatch and I believe because she was just too young and she left it in my bale of hay. They are a true joy to watch every day. They love to play with my chickens in the backyard. The Peahen has even allowed me to pet and hand feed her babies. Just as I can hand feed her. I’ve taken tons of pictures of these beautiful animals!

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