Peafowl – Peacocks and Peahens - for sale

Black-shouldered peafowl (Pavo cristatus negripennis) have been at Longbourn since 2007. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen.

The national bird of India, the Peacock is one of the most recognizable birds in the world. These brightly coloured birds have a distinctive crest and an unmistakable ornamental train. The train accounts for more than 60% of their total body length and this combined with a large wingspan makes the male peafowl one of the largest flying birds in the world – although he will only take to the skies when absolutely necessary!

Black-shouldered peacocks are similar in colour to their Indian Blue relative, except for their black shoulders. The Black-shouldered female is mostly white with some black and tan on her back. Females are about 34 inches long and weigh 6-9 lbs, while males average 42 inches and weigh approx 8-13lbs.

Peacocks are most notable for their extravagant display feathers which, despite actually growing from their back, are known as a 'tail' or train. The train is formed of 100-150 highly specialized upper tail-coverts each with an ornamental ocellus, or eye-spot. The quality of train supposedly signifies the condition of the male and the peahen is said to select her male on the basis of his plumage. When the male “displays” to the female, he raises his tail feathers into a spectacular fan and quivers it as part of the courtship display.

Peahens lay a clutch of 4-8 eggs which take 28 days to hatch. The eggs are light brown and are laid every other day usually in the afternoon – the peahens at Longbourn make their straw nests within old tyres. The male does not assist with the rearing, and prefers to delight in his harem of upto six peahens. The young - Black-shouldered peachicks are creamy white, with buff tinged wings which distinguishes them from their White peachicks cousins. A pair of Black-shouldered peafowl can either be raised in a pen or aviary or, free range in fenced areas providing the owner with hours of enjoyment watching them roam and interact with their surroundings.


If you are interested in any of the poultry we have for sale, please contact us and we will be delighted to help.

Peafowl – Peacocks and Peahens - for sale from Over the Stile, a smallholding in Sussex.