Indian Peafowl vs Blood Pheasant
Pavo cristatus compared with Ithaginis cruentus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Indian Peafowl | Blood Pheasant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pavo cristatus | Ithaginis cruentus |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 195.0 cm (76.8 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 160.0 cm (63.0 in) | 39.1 cm (15.4 in) |
| Weight | 5000.0 g (176.37 oz) | 535.8333333333334 g (18.90 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous — seeds, berries, insects, small vertebrates, and cultivated crops. Forages on the ground in … | Eats seeds, berries, moss, ferns, and invertebrates in Himalayan and Central Asian coniferous forests. Feeds … |
| Clutch Size | 3-8 | 2-7 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Indian Peafowl
Open forests, farmland, and areas near water in the Indian subcontinent. Highly adaptable and common near human settlements.
Song & Call Comparison
Indian Peafowl
Loud, harsh, repetitive 'may-AWE' screaming call, audible over great distances. Display calls are a mewing 'aaaow'. Peacocks call persistently at dawn and before rain.
Blood Pheasant
Sharp, nasal 'kip-kip-kip' contact calls; alarm is a loud, harsh chattering rattle audible across alpine rhododendron scrub. Song is a series of thin, whistled 'tsee' notes at dawn.
Geographic Range & Migration
Indian Peafowl
Indian subcontinent including India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Feral populations worldwide.
Blood Pheasant
Resident in the Himalayas and mountains of western China from Pakistan east to Yunnan at 2,400-4,500 m. Found in rhododendron and coniferous forest.
Conservation Status
Indian Peafowl
Blood Pheasant
How to Tell Them Apart
Indian Peafowl
Males (peacocks) have iridescent blue-green plumage and an enormous train of elongated upper tail coverts with eye-spots. Females (peahens) are brown and cryptically patterned.
Short, stout, greyish-horn bill
Blood Pheasant
Male has grey and black streaked upperparts; red forehead, red streaks on breast and flanks; red-and-yellow legs; bare red facial skin. Female is rusty-brown streaked darker with no red; markedly …
About These Birds
Indian Peafowl
The Indian peafowl is the national bird of India and one of the most spectacular birds in the world. The peacock's enormous train, which can span over two meters, is used in elaborate courtship displays where the feathers are fanned and vibrated. Despite their size, peafowl can fly short distances and roost in tall trees.
Blood Pheasant
A medium-sized pheasant (~535 g) of family Phasianidae, males with blood-red streaked plumage on green and grey tones. Inhabits dense subalpine forests and rhododendron scrub in the Himalayas from Nepal to southwestern China at 2,800–4,500 m elevation. Feeds on mosses, ferns, berries, and seeds. Least Concern; the sole member of genus Ithaginis with a broad Himalayan distribution.