Congo Peafowl

The Congo peacock, Africa's only only pheasant species, looks significantly different from the typical Indian peacock we often envision in our mind. While the Indian peacock has a long train of feathers that it uses to attract the opposite sex in mate selection, the Congo peacock has short yet equally as vibrant feathers on its back. The reason why the Congo peacock does not have the same beautifully majestic tail that the other two species of peafowl have is because it resides in the deep forest of central Africa where having a long train of feathers would be impractical and difficult to maneuver around with. Due to the fact that the male peacocks do not their typical train of feathers to distinguish themselves from their fellow peahens, one can tell a Congo peacock from a Congo peahen by its color. While Congo peahens are a mixture of green and a dull brown in order to more easily blend into their environment, the male peacocks are vivacious blue and have a crest. Furthermore, this species of peafowl is relatively shy compared to its ancestors and therefore might closely resemble early peafowl ancestors. Unfortunately, this particular species of peacock is endangered but the Species Survival Program has attempted to take control of the situation in order to deter the species declining population. 

Sources: San Diego Zoo