Images Dated 20th December 2011

Colorful and Distinctive Peacock Tail Feathers

These tail feathers, or coverts, spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird's total body length and boast colorful "eye" markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. The large train is used in mating rituals and courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird's back and touches the ground on either side. Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, colour, and quality of these outrageous feather trains

© Darrell Gulin 2015