There are many amazingly beautiful birds in the world that amaze the imagination with their bright and unusual coloring. However, in the rating of the most beautiful birds of the planet, there is still a recognized winner, whose spectacular appearance is known to almost everyone. So what is this miracle bird?
Peacock history
Traditionally, in different cultures of the world, the peacock symbolizes beauty, pride and immortality. In many countries it is considered a royal bird, while some peoples consider this bird a sacred creature. The peacock is native to South Asia, where this decorative bird is prized for warning people about the approach of thunderstorms, snakes and tigers. In Russia, peacocks are treated somewhat differently - since only wealthy people could own them.
This made the peacock the hero of the famous Russian expression "spread his tail like a peacock", symbolizing vanity and selfishness.
According to the ancient Greek myth, the wife of Zeus, the goddess Hera, revived the hundred-eyed Argos, who was killed by Hermes, transferring all his eyes to the peacock's tail. The Romans associated this bird with the goddess Juno, for whom winged boys collected "eyes" from its plumage. The Romans also depicted a peacock on their coins - as a sign of the divinity of the imperial daughters. Early Christianity associated the peacock with the symbolism of the sun, immortality and the beauty of the soul. There is a belief that the flesh of this bird does not rot even after three days of lying in the ground.
Peacock plumage
The most luxurious part of a peacock is its tail - or rather, its upper tail. The peacock's tail itself is rather ordinary and modest. The upper tail of the peacock's plumage includes all the colors of the rainbow, ideally combining the entire gamut of colors. With the help of its stunning "tuning" the peacock conquers the female, which, by the way, unlike the male, looks quite simple and has a small size.
Despite the prevailing opinion about the complacency of peacocks, spreading their tails in order to show off, in fact, they only attract the attention of females.
By dissolving its magnificent tail train, the peacock shows its potential partner its worth and its "wealth". Peacocks are a species that must be protected - after all, these beautiful birds are hunted. Their feathers and meat are considered quite valuable commodities that many collectors and gourmets want to get. Usually, female peacocks lay no more than ten eggs of a brownish hue, from which chicks are subsequently born, resembling banal chickens in their appearance. Peacocks are often purchased for zoos and country mansions, where they are used as living decorative decorations.
