Indian peacock in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
(© Kevin Schafer/Minden Pictures)
Though native to South Asia, and especially India, the peafowl has been introduced all over the Western Hemisphere, Australia, and even in South Africa and Madagascar. The male, known as a peacock, has become a symbol of exotic beauty and its feathers have been used in fashion design for centuries.
Peacocks figure into various Eastern mythologies, with prominent roles in Hindu lore. A peacock, for example, is the steed of Kartikeya, the Hindu god of war. And, as if to demonstrate how far the peacock is distributed throughout the world, Viking warriors were sometimes buried with peacock feathers, and medieval knights of Europe sometimes wore peacock plumes on their armor.
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