THE BIG QUESTION

Can peacocks predict rain?

Have you watched a peacock dance? It is a beautiful sight to behold. We have heard people say that a peacock dance is an indicator of rain. How true is this? Saully the reality is not as cool it sounds. The male of the indian peafowl species is called the peacock. (The female is called the peahen and the offspring, the peachick). The stunning pattern on their metallic blue - green covert feathers (called a train), and the eye spots are something unique to the Asiatic species. (The Congo peacocks do not have the train nor the eyespots).

A peacock opens its train and 'dances' to attract a peaken. It is part of the courtship ritual where the male fans his tail displaying the eyespots Peacocks moult (shed) their train at the end of every breeding season. So, what is the link between rain and their dance? Peafowls breed during the wet or rainy season. Hence, it is only a coincidence if you watched a peacock dance and you witnessed a rain soon after.

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