Indian Peafowl vs Grey-striped Spurfowl
Pavo cristatus compared with Pternistis griseostriatus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Indian Peafowl | Grey-striped Spurfowl |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pavo cristatus | Pternistis griseostriatus |
| 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) | 30.3 cm (11.9 in) |
| Weight | 5000.0 g (176.37 oz) | 314.5 g (11.09 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous — seeds, berries, insects, small vertebrates, and cultivated crops. Forages on the ground in … | Forages for seeds, invertebrates, and plant material in Angolan forest and savanna. |
| Clutch Size | 3-8 | -- |
| 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.
Grey-striped Spurfowl
Sharp, rasping 'krek-KRAK' calls from Angola forest; smaller spurfowl with higher voice. Alarm is rapid cackle. Poorly known relative to widespread congeners. Pairs call at dawn in forest.
Geographic Range & Migration
Indian Peafowl
Indian subcontinent including India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Feral populations worldwide.
Grey-striped Spurfowl
Resident of coastal lowland forest and thicket in Angola and western DR Congo; restricted to the Atlantic coast belt.
Conservation Status
Indian Peafowl
Grey-striped Spurfowl
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
Grey-striped Spurfowl
Grey-brown above with distinctive grey and white shaft streaking; pale buff underparts with grey-brown lateral streaking giving greyish tonal quality; red bill; yellowish legs; red orbital skin. Angola endemic.
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.
Grey-striped Spurfowl
A small Phasianidae spurfowl (~315 g) of dense forest understorey and gallery forest in western Angola and adjacent DRC. Finely grey-streaked plumage is distinctive among spurfowls. Shy and little studied; forages on seeds and invertebrates. Least Concern; restricted range but habitat relatively intact.