What Is a Group of Peacocks Called?

Written by Drew Wood
Updated: May 8, 2023
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If birds had a beauty contest, it would be hard to beat the peacock. Males of the species have iridescent blue and green feathers. They can spread their tail feathers out in a gorgeous fan five feet tall. It’s truly an awe-inspiring sight. Now when it comes to singing, that’s another story. Peacocks make an ear-splitting shriek that sounds like someone’s dying. But in the visual department, they win. Can you imagine what it would look like to see a whole group of peacocks strutting their stuff? What is a group of peacocks called, anyway? As it turns out, that’s not an easy question to answer, because there are LOTS of different names for groups of peacocks. Let’s look at them.

Beautiful Peacock Isolated On White Background

Peacocks are some of the most gorgeous birds in the world.

©a_v_d/Shutterstock.com

The Beautiful Variety of Peacocks

We know the picture you have in your mind when we say the word “peacock.” That colorful bird with 5-foot-long feathers is the male. They use them for mating displays and intimidating rivals and predators with all those fake “eyes” on their tales. The females have brown and white feathers that help them stay camouflaged while they’re sitting on eggs. Here are some of the different types of peacocks you might encounter.

The Indian Peacock

These were formerly called “common” peacocks, although they look anything but common. This variety has bright metallic blue feathers on its body, fading into green tail feathers with “eye”-like shapes at the end of each feather. As the feathers grow out, it gives the appearance of eyes scattered all over the fan of their tail.

peacock with feathers spread

Male peacocks have striking blue feathers on their body and a tail with 5-foot-long feathers speckled with “eye” shapes to frighten predators.

©iStock.com/Anna_Brothankova

The Green Peacock

Green peacocks look just like Indian peacocks with the one difference that their bodies are mainly green instead of blue, although there’s subtle shades of blue and teal on their heads and the underside of their necks. Their tail feathers also have more of a bronze cast to them.

Beautiful Green Animals - Green Peacock

The green peacock has a green body instead of blue and more of a bronze cast to its tail feathers.

©iStock.com/panda3800

The Congo Peacock

The Congo peacock is often called the Congo peafowl but is more properly called the Congo peacock pheasant. Congo peafowl don’t have the long tail feathers of their cousins, but they do have some beautiful blue and red feathers mixed into their overall dark coloration. They’re really quite beautiful in their own way, sort of like fancy chickens.

Male Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congensis) or African peafowl, standing erect against a dark background.
The Congo peafowl has some similar blue coloration in some of its feathers but otherwise looks rather different from other species of peacocks.

The White Peacock

The white peacock is a variety of the Indian peacock. It is sometimes mistaken for an albino, but this isn’t the case, as true albinos have red or pink eyes. All we know is, it’s a whole new level of beautiful. Here’s a photo:

An albino peacock perches on a wall in Potters park zoo

This albino peacock looks like it knows just how special it is.

©Noah Proctor/Shutterstock.com

Names of Individual Peacocks

When we’re talking about individual birds of this species, these are the terms to use:

  • Peacock – a male
  • Peahen – a female
  • Peachick – a baby
  • Peafowl – a collective word for any and all of the other three.

Names for Groups of Peacocks

We have several names for groups of specific animals. For some species, we have more than one name. And it seems like a species as beautiful and majestic as the peacock has inspired a lot of creative names. Here are some names that are used for groups of peacocks, and why each might be appropriate:

  • An ostentation – This means a “showy display.”
  • A pride – Male peacocks like to strut around proudly, showing off their feathers to impress females.
  • A muster – This term means a gathering of troops for battle or inspection. You could imagine peacocks as soldiers in their finest dress uniforms, waiting to pass inspection.
  • A lek – A lek is an arena where male birds compete in courtship displays.
  • A bawl – To bawl in this sense means to call out in a loud and noisy way. During courtship, male peacocks make loud hooting and cawing sounds.
  • A cluster – Peacocks congregate together during mating season, and all year long they roost close together, so this leads to the term “cluster” of peacocks.
  • A party – Considering how flamboyant peacocks look, it seems like they’re having the party of their lives.
  • A pulchritude – The word “pulchritude” is a rather archaic term that means “beauty.”
  • A bevy – A bevy is a large group, and it’s a term that is also used for groups of quail and larks.
  • A pstemtatopm – It’s not clear what this word means or even how to pronounce it. The only thing we know is that this term might have originated in New Zealand.
  • A harem – This is a term used only for a group of peahens. Males often mate with more than one female, so it is not uncommon to see a male followed by three to five mates, his harem.
Indian peacock, showing its plumage from a hilltop, Sri Lanka, India. Peacock male, exotic blue and green bird from India. Peacock in the heights

Peacocks, with their gorgeous colors, are all males.

©Perpis/Shutterstock.com

Can You Keep Your Own Ostentation?

By now you might be wondering if you could create your own ostentation of real live peacocks in your backyard so that you can admire their beauty and use all these different terms and correct people who call a peahen a peacock. They are not an endangered species, and they have been kept for centuries on wealthy estates around the world as display animals. They do well in temperate and warm climates. You’ll have to check with your locality to see what the rules are for keeping peafowl, but here are some things to consider:

They’re docile and pretty easy to care for, and of course gorgeous to look at. But they do need a lot of space. Peacocks can fly, so you’ll have to take that into account. At some zoos, on big estates, and on some farms in rural areas, they are allowed to roam at large. If you don’t have a large piece of property where they can roam, or if you have neighbors who won’t appreciate them getting in their yard, or dogs that might chase them, then you may want to put up some high fencing or even a covered aviary to make sure they stay on your property. One of the really big problems of peafowl as pets is that they are extremely loud and the sounds they make are harsh and piercing to the human ear. You probably won’t enjoy that, and neither will your neighbors.

Celebrate National Peacock Day

Even though most people may not be set up to keep peacocks as pets, that doesn’t mean you can’t admire them from afar and celebrate their beauty in your daily life. A good day to do this is National Peacock Day, which happens every year on March 25. Check out this article for fun ways to celebrate: National Peacock Day: March 25 (Plus 25 Fun Ways to Celebrate!)

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/AlexeyVis


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About the Author

Drew Wood is a writer at A-Z Animals focusing on mammals, geography, and world cultures. Drew has worked in research and writing for over 20 years and holds a Masters in Foreign Affairs (1992) and a Doctorate in Religion (2009). A resident of Nebraska, Drew enjoys Brazilian jiu-jitsu, movies, and being an emotional support human to four dogs.

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