Green peafowl

녹색공작

A peafowl with scaly green plumage and an upright pointed crest. The male has a long green train. It is now endangered, with its wild stronghold in places like Java and mainland Southeast Asia.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Birds
Lives in: Java (e.g. Baluran National Park)
Diet: Eats both plants and meat (omnivore)
Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN EN)
Habitat: forests

Quick answers

Where does the Green peafowl live?

It lives in forests. On the globe you can find it near Java (e.g. Baluran National Park).

What does the Green peafowl eat?

Its diet: eats both plants and meat (omnivore).

Is the Green peafowl endangered?

It is listed as Endangered (IUCN EN).

The green peafowl is a big forest bird of Southeast Asia and southern China, and the national bird of Myanmar. Males are 1.8 to 3 metres long including their train, a bunch of very long feathers with eyespots. Unlike the blue Indian peafowl, both males and females have shiny green feathers.

Its neck and breast feathers are so scaly and glossy that they remind people of dragon scales. It once lived across Southeast Asia, but now only scattered groups remain, and the IUCN has listed it as Endangered since 2009. Its call, a loud repeated ki-wao, is easy to hear at dawn and dusk.

Why is it disappearing?

Forests have been cut down for farms, which broke the peafowl's habitat into small pieces. Hunters also take them for meat, and collectors want their feathers.

Wild birds are caught for the pet trade as well. Protecting patches of forest where the birds can feed, nest and roost is the most important way to help. Local protection of forest, along with rules against hunting and trade, helps these birds most.

Loud calls and strong wings

Green peafowl can fly well, even though their bodies are large and heavy. At dawn and dusk, males call from their roosts with a loud, repeated cry that sounds like ki-wao, and females answer with a loud call of their own.

After the breeding season, males shed their long train feathers, so it can be hard to tell the sexes apart unless you are close.

Fun facts

Unlike the Indian peafowl, both males and females have shimmering green feathers.
Males and females both have shiny green feathers.
The male's train can reach about 2 metres.
Its scaly neck feathers look like Chinese dragon scales.