About the Peacock

In the same way it is quite common for windows to be carved in the shape of a peacock with tail erect so that they can prevent evil spirits and bad air form entering the house.

The poison caused the dark blue stain on his neck and the heat of it meant that he had to sit in the Himalayas where the great Ganges falls from the Milky Way to Earth dropping on his head and cooling the fire of the poison. The fact that peacocks becomes extremely restless before rain has associated his dance with the coming of rain and so with fertility in many cultures. In Japan Kujaku Myoo, the peacock goddess, mother of the Buddhas, and the compassionate, non-wrathful manifestation of the protectors, is depicted seated on a peacock and is notable for her role as a protectress against calamities and particularly against poisons, snakebites and drought.

The Peacock is said to have been given his beautiful colour by Indra in gratitude for sheltering him behind his then plain tail during one of Indra's battles with the demon king Ravana. In Sufi legend the original spirit was created in the form of a peacock. The domed shape of the Peacock's tail and the way that it is scattered with eyes, corresponds to the starry heavens and so it has become associated with immortality.

The modern European idea that the meat of the Peacock is poisonous is also in complete contrast to the more usual legend that the flesh of the Peacock is incorruptible and never decays. In almost all other parts of the world the peacock feather is seen as auspicious and especially as protective. The mourning Juno took the hundred eyes and placed them on the tail of her Peacock.

Juno's bird was the Peacock, its iridescent colours associated with the rainbow and with her messenger Iris. The modern, western view of the Peacock as a symbol of Pride, Arrogance and Vanity is a recent one and not found in earlier times or in other cultures and certainly not in the East. The courtship ritual involves a display of the peacock's tail and loud cries.

Although often cited as a symbol of fidelity and said to grieve for a lost mate, the peacock is polygamous and given the choice will mate with 3 or 4 peahens. The iridescent nature of the feathers is caused by light interference in the nano-structure of the barbules of the feather. The truth is that they will tear apart flowers in search of snails and insects, and any flower parts that are ingested are eaten as a matter of course while trying to find the creatures that live along them.

In captivity, peacocks are generally fed a more controlled diet, but it consists of items similar to what is found in their natural habitat. For instance, keep your trash covered, because peacocks will rummage through it in search of tasty scraps. In general, the more diverse their diet, the healthier your pet will be. Offer your birds peanuts, sunflower seeds, safflower seeds and true nuts, but these high-fat snacks should only make up about 5 to 10 percent of their diet.