Nashville, TN – Guests visiting Nashville Zoo will now have to share the pathways with a dozen peacocks! Yesterday, the Zoo’s avian care team let loose 12 male common peafowl (aka peacocks) to explore the Zoo as they wish.
To help keep up with the free-roaming birds, keepers have fitted each one with a colored and numbered leg band.
The majority of the Zoo’s peacocks have a blue coloration with two birds having a bronze color. Guests will likely see the birds sunning themselves by laying on their sides and spreading out their wings and legs.
Male peafowl also like to show off their flashy tail feathers by fanning them out for a shimmering display.
Keepers plan to feed the peacocks every morning in the Zoo’s Festival Field where they can check to make sure they are healthy.
Common peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is native to India and Sri Lanka. These birds can grow as heavy as 13 pounds – making them one of the heaviest flying birds! The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies this peafowl as a species of least concern.
Peafowl have been domesticated by humans for over 3,000 years and are typically kept as pets or on farms. Over the centuries, peafowl have been bred for unique colors such as bronze, white-eyed, spalding, and Indian blue.
About Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo is a nonprofit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, assuring the highest standards of animal care and husbandry. The Zoo is actively engaged in conservation research, habitat protection, breeding programs, and education initiatives around the globe as well as in our own backyard.
With support from the Nashville community, donors, and sponsors including our Experience Partners: Coca-Cola Consolidated and Middle Tennessee Honda Dealers, the Zoo is a top Nashville attraction and is consistently voted one of the best places to visit by TripAdvisor, Yelp, and a host of local and national review sites. Nashville Zoo is located at 3777 Nolensville Pike.
For more information about Nashville Zoo, visit www.nashvillezoo.org
