peafowl

Art & Architecture Thesaurus

peafowl

Members of a genus containing two species of blue or green birds having a train of tail feathers that are colored a brilliant metallic green, each tipped with an eyespot that is ringed with blue and bronze. Peacocks have been kept as ornamental birds for centuries. The bird was a symbol of eternal life in the antiquity, due to the belief that its flesh did not rot. It has also been a symbol of pride. Traditionally classified as members of the Phasianidae family, but scientists now believe that the peafowl and Phasianidae do not share the same ancestry. Peafowl and their allies are a very ancient isolated group with no near allies; their family is classified separately as Pavoninidae in some systems.

Pavo

peacocks

peacock

Pavoninidae