This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the D2E.

Try this PYQ:

Q.Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India? (CSP 2015)

(a) Saltwater crocodile

(b) Olive ridley turtle

(c) Gangetic dolphin

(d) Gharial

Indian Peafowl

• The Indian peafowl is a native of India and some parts of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• The Arakan hills prevented their spread further east while the Himalayas and the Karakoram did so northwards.
• As our national bird, the peacock has the utmost level of legal protection.

Peacock vs. Peafowl

• Only the males of the species are peacocks.
• The females are properly called peahens, while young birds less than a year old are known as peachicks.
• Collectively they are known as peafowl, regardless of age or gender.
• Peacocks are male Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) belonging to the Phasianidae family

Various protections

• It comes under Section 51 (1-A) of Schedule I of the Wild (Life) (Protection) Act, 1972, with imprisonment that may be extended up to seven years, along with a fine that shall not be less than Rs 10,000.
• Since 2014, Indian Peafowl has been protected under Appendix III of the CITES.
• They are listed under the ‘Least Concern’ (LC) category of the IUCN Red Data List.

Threats

• Despite this, these birds experienced dwindling populations for many decades due to habitat loss, poaching and contamination of their food sources.
• In 1991, the peafowl population census conducted by the WWF  revealed that 50 per cent of the species had declined, compared to their number at the time of independence.

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