Stats

Lifespan: 10-25 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Flock
Biome: Tropical dry forest
Range: South Asia
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

A large, ground-dwelling pheasant of the Indian subcontinent, the male is famous for the iridescent train of up to 200 feathers, each tipped with an ocellus that it raises into a shimmering fan during courtship.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A large clutch of eggs sits in a shallow ground scrape, incubated by the hen until the brood hatches together.
2.
hatchling chick
A downy chick leaves the nest within hours of hatching and pecks for food alongside the hen.
3.
juvenile
A juvenile grows its first body feathers, learns to fly short bursts, and stays in the brood until fledged.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Pavo
Species: Pavo cristatus