The word “peacock” is commonly used to describe male and female birds. Technically¹ speaking, only males are “peacocks”. A female is a “peahen”. The neutral term for these birds is “peafowl”. The male is the pheasant with the colourful train. He struts² around with his beautiful plumage to attract females. This is where the expression “proud as a peacock” comes from. The peacock’s feathers appear different colours depending on the angle of the light. Have you ever seen a white peacock or peahen? White peafowl are missing a pigment³. They are sometimes called albino peacocks. In the wild, peacocks are polygamous. They typically keep a harem of about 2-5 females. Wild peafowl like to gather in groups called “parties”. In captivity⁴, peacocks are often monogamous（一夫一妻的）. They can be kept as pets, though the annoying sound they make during mating season is irritating to home dwellers⁵ and neighbours.

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