The Hindu, July 12, 2014
In the forest areas of the State, hundreds of
well-camouflaged peahens are brooding their eggs. With the breeding
season under way, a new generation of our national bird will emerge from
the forests in the next few weeks.
Forests in Kollam
district are a major habitat for peacocks. The birds are frequently
spotted in townships and villages in the eastern sectors of the
district.
Besides the national bird status, the
peacocks have religious symbolism and hence are seldom harmed. Awareness
spread by the Forest Department has also helped safeguard the bird.
Rich nesting grounds
Forest
officers in Kollam say that the Aryankavu, Shendurney, Achencoil,
Thenmala, and Kanayar forest belts are rich nesting grounds for
peacocks.
The Adivasis say the peacock breeding season starts with the arrival of the monsoon.
Spotting nests
With
the Adivasis’ help, nests can be spotted without going very deep into
the forests. The incubation period is approximately 28 to 30 days, and
each clutch comprises five to nine eggs.
The nests, which the peahens set up with dry leaves and twigs, are made on shallow holes on the ground.
With
their dull plumage, the peahens are hard to spot in the jungles when
they brood. Regardless of which day they were laid, all eggs hatch at
the same time, and the chicks are fully feathered.
Adivasis
say that as soon as the eggs hatch, the mother leads the broodlings
away from the nest as the egg shells attract predators.
Forest officers say the chicks learn to fly, though not to great heights, within a few days of hatching.
This is important because peacocks roost above the ground.
The
hatchlings can be seen riding piggyback on their mothers during the
first few days of their life to perch up on the safety of trees.
As
the arrival of the chicks signals the end of the breeding season, the
peacocks start shedding their stunning tail feathers as part of an
annual molting process, only to sport them again when the next breeding
season approaches.
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