What does eat peacock

What Do Peacocks Eat?

Male peacocks are among the showiest birds in the world. They like to strut around with their bright iridescent colors and ornate tail plumage shimmering in the sun for all the females to see. The tail plumage seems to play a role in the courtship process. The physical characteristics of the tail feathers, including their length, their symmetry, and even the number of “eyespots” on the ends, are thought to convey important information about the male’s health and vitality to potential mates. That’s because they seem to take a lot of energy and nutrients to properly maintain.

The peacock is a member of the pheasant family; there are two Asian species, the Indian peafowl of the Indian subcontinent and the green peafowl of Southeast Asia, as well as one African species, the Congo peafowl. All three have a generally similar omnivorous diet, but they vary in several important details. This article will cover some interesting facts about what they eat and how they obtain their food.

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A quick note on the usage of terms: the male is usually referred to as the peacock, while the female is called the peahen. The group as a whole is called the peafowl. However, for this article, peacocks will be used for both males and females.

What Does the Peacock Eat?

Peacocks are best described as opportunistic omnivores. They like to eat all kinds of different foods, including grains, grasses (such as bamboos), berries, leaves, figs, seeds, flowers, insects, worms, and small reptiles and mammals. They will also sometimes raid cultivated crops such as tomatoes and peppers. Their diet just depends on what is available at the time based on the season and location. For instance, the diet of the Congo peafowl is more likely to consist of oil palm and African breadfruit. In the Indian state of Gujarat, peacocks like to eat the berries of certain buckthorn plants. Different dietary patterns can be found across their entire range.

Peacocks, like many birds, are specially adapted for a plant-heavy diet. To break down food, they have a specialized organ called a gizzard located near the digestive system. This organ helps them grind up tough food from grains and other plants. The peacock will swallow pebbles and store them in the gizzard to assist with the grinding process.

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In the wild, peacocks are daytime foragers. They sleep in large groups at night, usually concealed in tall and open trees, and then break up into smaller groups in the morning to forage for food. They normally take a mid-day break to preen feathers while resting comfortably in the shade, and then they return to foraging one last time before the darkness sets in.

In the non-breeding season, peacock foraging groups usually consist of both males and females in equal measure. But once the breeding season arrives, the foraging party consists of a harem with a single dominant male and multiple breeding females; the other males are left to forage together in bachelor groups.

Peacocks are thought to play an important ecological role by regulating the number of snakes, lizards, insects, and other common animals. This helps to prevent any one animal from dominating the ecosystem.

What grains do peacocks eat?

Peacocks enjoy eating all kinds of different grains, including oats and corn. They aren’t very picky about what they eat.

What do peacocks eat in the wild?

In the wild peacocks eat their normal omnivorous diet of grains, berries, leaves, insects, etc. In captivity, however, they are usually fed a combination of pellets, chopped greens, chopped fruits, bread, cooked rice, corn, and other food items meant to replicate their natural omnivorous diet. Captive peacocks can live quite long (some reports indicate up to 30 or 40 years) because they have less to fear from starvation, predation, and disease. However, problems arise if they become too sedentary. Wild peacocks must move around constantly in search of food, but in captivity they often expect food to come to them. They may therefore develop gout and kidney problems that can shorten their lives.

What do peacocks eat in the winter?

Peacocks don’t have a specific winter diet, but they do sometimes respond to changes in the season by shifting to different food sources.

How do peacocks eat snakes?

Peacocks appear to view snakes as natural threats and not just sources of food. These birds will attack snakes on sight by pecking at them on the ground, whether the snakes are poisonous or not. They are so revered for their ability to eat young cobras that their name in Sanskrit (a South Asian language) means “killer of snakes.”

What do baby peacocks eat?

Unlike many other types of birds, baby peacocks are highly mobile from the moment they’re born and feed for themselves. It takes only one week before they can fly. Many of the baby peacocks will follow the mother for the first few weeks of their lives and eat mostly adult foods. They are almost completely independent once they learn how to forage properly for food.

A Complete List of the Top 10 Foods the Peacock Eats

The peacock has a long and varied diet. It is difficult to list specific species. Instead, they can consume almost any type of food listed in the following groups:

What Do Peacocks Eat? (Complete Guide)

Last updated: 9 May 2022

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Peacocks are one of the most strikingly beautiful animals on the planet and are famous for their iridescently colourful feathers that make up some 60% of their total length. Peacocks are large birds with a 1.5m wingspan, and they surely need a large dose of nutrients to keep their plumage in check, so what do peacocks eat?

Peacocks are non-fussy omnivores and will eat most plant foods such as seeds, grains, berries, vegetables and fruits as well as insects, arthropods, small lizards, snakes, frogs and rodents. They require a high-protein diet to keep their feathers healthy and generally have strong appetites.

A pair of peacocks foraging for food on the ground

There are three species of peacocks; the Indian peafowl, Green peafowl and Congo peafowl. The word peacock refers to a male peafowl from any of those species, whereas peahens are female peafowl. Peacocks are best known for their famously impressive plumage. Not only are the feathers themselves extremely long, but the colours are exceptionally bright and iridescent. Peafowl are ground roaming birds, and though they’re perfectly able to fly, they can’t fly long distances.

Instead, peafowl much much prefer walking, which is why they’re pretty easy to train to not fly off when kept as pets. They forage most of their food from the ground, too, and as large birds, peacocks require substantial and diverse diets.

Read on to find out more about what peacocks eat and other interesting facts about peacock diets!

What do wild peacocks eat?

Maintaining all of that plumage requires some serious energy and nutrition, hence why peacocks require a high-protein diet that includes meat, primarily from insects. Whilst small insects are consumed readily by any wild peafowl, they aren’t afraid of hunting and killing small snakes, rodents, arthropods and frogs.

A male Green Peafowl foraging in the wild

What is a peacock’s favourite food?

The most important features of a peacock’s diet are nutrient diversity and quality. These are not simple birds, and they’re relatively large too, which means that their dietary requirements are pretty demanding. Legumes and vegetables are a firm favourite of peacocks who will happily munch upon ample beans, peas and leafy greens.

Berries and fruit provide a sweet dose of vitamins, whereas meat such as dried mealworms and larvae is also essential for added protein. Whilst it’s generally not necessary to feed a captively bred peacock rodents, amphibians and lizards, they will eat meat kitchen scraps.

What do peacocks eat in the winter?

Peacocks have a stable diet all year round as they don’t migrate or stray too far from their territories, so long as they feel safe. Plenty of nutritious protein-rich foods keep peacocks at their healthiest. Peafowl are hardier than people tend to think they are, but they still need to be kept warm and well-fed in colder winter climates.

A peacock during the winter

Do peacocks eat snakes?

Since they spend a lot of time foraging on the ground, peacocks are wary of any predators that share their territories, including snakes. With their short, powerful beaks and large, sharp talons, they’re very capable of killing snakes.

Despite looking very well-to-do and prim-and-proper, peacocks are quite aggressive and are ready and willing to fight, especially when something or someone threatens their young. They can deliver a nasty peck with their strong necks and have powerful talons for defence, digging, foraging, and gripping snakes and other animals whilst they eat them.

Do peacocks eat rats?

They certainly can, if they can catch them, that is. Peacocks are non-fussy omnivores and will eat pretty much whatever they can get their beaks into, including rodents. Rats are agile and tend to be alert to danger, but if they did find themselves face to face with a peacock, then you’d fancy this large bird to have the upper hand!

Peacocks will eat from your hand

Can peacocks eat bread?

What do baby peacocks eat?

In captivity, peachicks are often fed game bird mixes, as peafowl are from the same family as many game birds such as pheasants. Peachicks are omnivores from the outset and will likely consume a lot of soft insects such as larvae and ants. Peachicks grow fairly quickly and are quite large when they hatch, about the size of a fully-grown quail, but they’ll take over 2 years to reach maturity. Peacock feathers can take some 4 years to fully grow.

Baby peacocks (peachicks) foraging for food

Do peacocks eat meat?

Peacocks are omnivores and certainly eat meat. Meat provides the peacock with the protein-rich diet it requires to maintain its magnificent plumage. The meat staple of a peacock’s diet is insects but they’ll quite happily eat small lizards, rodents and frogs.

What do peacocks drink?

Peacocks, like other birds, only ever need to drink water. Birds that consume vast quantities of insects or other water-rich foods don’t need to drink much, if at all. Peacocks are quite large birds, though, so they will need their own clean water supply as they won’t stay adequately hydrated from their food alone.

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What Do Peacocks Eat in the Wild and as Pets?

Peacocks — or peafowl, to be technically correct, as the term “Peacock” refers to males and “peahens” are females — are well known for their beautiful tail plumage and are commonly kept as pets on small farms.

Peacocks are omnivores and fairly opportunistic eaters. They will eat almost anything that they can find, including the morsels that they come across sifting through your trash can! In the wild, they will forage for seeds, insects, small rodents, lizards, snakes, and frogs, so you’ll want to mimic this variety in captivity because they need a diet high in protein.

In this article, we take a look at what Peacocks eat naturally in the wild and how you can mimic that diet in captivity. Let’s get started!

Peacock varieties

There are three different varieties of Peacock: the Indian Peacock, Green Peacock, and Congo Peacock, all of which have slightly varying diets in their natural habitat. While they are all omnivores and largely opportunistic feeders, their habitat dictates the majority of their diet.

Indian Peacock

Image Credit: SajeevBhaskaran, Pixabay

As the name suggests, the Indian Peacock is native to India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan and is predominantly blue in color. They are the most well-known variety, with some of the most striking plumage. They can be found in various habitats including savannahs, mountain ranges, and rainforests.

Green Peacock

Image Credit: endri yana yana, Pixabay

The Green Peacock has become endangered in recent decades and is found mostly in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. They also inhabit many different environments, including forests, shrublands, and savannahs.

Congo Peacock

Image Credit: Piqsels

The Congo Peacock hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in central Africa and is one of the least known of the three Peacock varieties. They do not have the same striking tail plumage of the Indian Peacock, but their feathers are gorgeously colored nonetheless.

What Do Peacocks Eat in the Wild?

Image Credit: Del Green, Pixabay

One of the primary and favorite foods of all Peacock varieties is insects. Peacocks are not picky when it comes to insects and will readily eat ants, grubs, crickets, worms, and even spiders. They can often be seen scratching in the dirt looking for worms and grubs, and even in captivity, when allowed to free-range, they will search for insects throughout the day.

Lizards, small snakes, rodents, and frogs are also fair game for wild Peacocks, and as long as it can fit in the Peacock’s mouth, they will likely eat it! These reptiles and amphibians are high in protein and provide essential nutrition for Peacocks. If there are enough around, they will make up a substantial portion of their diet. The same goes for snails and slugs. While Peacocks do eat flowers, they are mostly tearing the flowers up in search of snails!

Other important parts of a wild Peacock’s diet are fruits and vegetables. Any available tasty fruits will be a welcome treat for Peacocks, and they can also be found eating native vegetables and leaves. Most Peacocks will develop a taste for whatever fruit is available in their area.

What should you feed Peacocks as pets?

Image Credit: leelavernissa0, Pixabay

The diet of a captive Peacock should mimic their wild diet as close as possible, with as much variety as possible too. It’s a mistake to feed Peacocks on just grains or seeds as you would other birds, as they need the nutrients provided by insects, reptiles, and amphibians.

If your Peacock is free-ranging around your yard (as they should be) they will likely have access to plenty of tasty and nutritious insects and even some frogs, rodents, or lizards. This is not always the case, though, so you’ll need to provide them with supplemental insects occasionally just to be sure they are getting the protein that they need.

They’ll also need commercial food that is specially formulated for the species. If you cannot source Peacock food, a diet formulated for turkeys and pheasants will do. This commercial food should provide them with around a third of their diet overall, possibly more during winter months. Small amounts of dog or cat food are also suitable as an occasional high-protein treat if you are worried that they are not getting enough.

What should you avoid giving a Peacock?

Image Credit: Piqsels

Most human foods, in general, should not be fed to Peacocks. Most processed foods contain sugar, wheat, preservatives, colorants, and several other ingredients that are not healthy for Peacocks. Also, most of these foods are low in overall nutrition and can upset their fragile digestive system and should be kept far away from your pet Peacock.

What Do Peacocks Eat?

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Peacocks is a more common term for a gorgeous bird that is called Peafowl. These beautiful birds belong to the Phasianidae family and are easily identified by their bright blue metallic necks and remarkable eye-spotted tail feathers that they are so proud to show off during the mating season.

There are not too many species of peafowl. Only four main species exist; the Indian peafowl, the Congo peafowl, the Green peafowl, and the white peafowl that has albinism.

Peahens are pretty dull in their appearance. They don’t have flamboyant tail feathers and can only boast with a little bit of metallic green around their necks. Peacocks on the other hand are quite impressive.

Peacocks are usually kept for their beauty and their piercing calls. Even though humans can eat them, they are not bred as food but rather as a pet to combat pests or to brighten up a garden.

What Do Peacocks Eat?

Peafowls are omnivores which mean they eat both plant and animal matter. Like all other omnivores, they do consume a rather wide variety of foods. Here is a quick look at the top foods these birds enjoy eating.

Plants

Peafowl love to eat plants. Plants are their main food source. They will peck at all sorts of plants and enjoy eating various parts of plants such as flower petals, seed heads, soft leaves, and even soft roots. These proud birds enjoy eating grasses, Lucerne, leafy greens, and many other plants found in your garden.

Insects

Peafowl love to catch and eat insects. Insects like crickets, grasshoppers, earthworms, mealworms, maggots, beetles, ants, termites, and just about any other insect they can find while scratching in the soil is a valuable source of protein for these birds.

Reptiles

Peafowl is quite large and they have long sharp talons that they can use to kick and kill smaller animals. These birds are quite fierce and can easily overpower and catch small lizards. Peafowl will eat any small reptile they can find with acceptance to turtles that might be hard to eat due to their hard shells.

Amphibians

Amphibians are no match for the sharp beak and the lightning-fast reflexes of peafowl. These quick birds enjoy eating frogs and salamanders that they catch on land or lingering in shallow waters.

Game feed pellets

You can also offer your peafowl game feed pellets. These foods are especially good in wintertime when there might not be as many natural foods available. Game breeder feeds contain lots of protein that peafowl needs to stay healthy and strong.

Grains

Peafowl also enjoys eating grains. They enjoy eating a variety of grains but are especially fond of corn and wheat. They might also eat oats or other grains that they find in crops or that they might find in the bowls of your other pets.

Fruits and vegetables

These birds also enjoy eating a wide range of tasty fruits and vegetables. They are fond of sweet or sour fruits like apples, berries, pawpaws, grapes, strawberries, mangoes, and just about any other fruit they can find. They also enjoy various vegetables such as green beans, peas, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, and many others. You can also offer your peafowl some cooked and cooled veggies such as pumpkin or sweet potato.

Pet food

Peafowl can be quite annoying around pet bowls because they love to eat pet kibble food. Foods like a dog or cat kibble are very tasty foods that they can easily gobble down since they do have rather large mouths.

Diet Variation

Peafowl will eat almost anything including table scraps. They might even eat human foods that contain lots of spices and sugar that might not be good for their health. Ideally, you should try to keep them away from your trash cans to keep them healthy.

How To Feed Peacocks?

These large birds are not too friendly. They usually don’t like to be touched but can get quite tame. They might even come close if they see you eating a tasty sandwich. Peafowl is very easy to feed since they have such diverse diets. Ideally, they should be allowed to graze for natural foods in the garden. You can also supplement them with daily game pellets, grains, or fruits and vegetables.

What Do Peacocks Eat In the Wild?

Peafowl does still live in the wild in forest trees and other parts of the world. In the wild, they rely on plants, insects, and small animals like frogs and lizards to survive. They might also feed on wild berries if they find these in their natural environment.

What Do Peacocks Eat in Captivity?

In captivity, these birds are usually kept in gardens where they can feed on natural garden plants and insects. They are also offered supplementary foods like cereal, grains, pellet foods, or other pet foods to keep them healthy.

What do Baby Peacocks Eat?

Baby peafowl is called peachicks and they can be quite timid when they are still young. Peachicks need to learn to forage for their own food within 3 – 4 days. During the first 24 – 48 hours, they survive on the nutrients they receive when they absorb their yolk sacks before hatching. Their mother stays close to their side and helps them find all sorts of foods such as insects, seeds, grains, and berries.

Peachicks can also be offered chopped leafy greens, grain meal, cooked and cooled vegetables, chopped fruits, small insects, or even hard-boiled eggs to boost them during their first few days.

How Much Do Peacocks Eat?

These birds spend most of their time grazing on natural plant life. They should have access to fresh water and need to feed a variety of foods every day. Most pet owners supplement their peafowl with a small handful of pellet feeds or corn every day to keep them healthy.

How Often Do Peacocks Eat?

Peafowl can eat all day if they like. They spend many hours looking for insects and food and also spend the hottest time of the day napping in the shade. Most pet owners choose to offer them one supplementary meal early in the morning or in the afternoon.

Do Peacocks Eat Snakes?

Yes, peafowl can attack and eat snakes. They are quite fast and know how to avoid getting bitten. They do however only focus on small snakes and will flee if they encounter a snake that is too large.

Do Peacocks Eat Fish?

Yes, peafowl can use their senses and fast speed to locate and catch small fish in shallow waters. This is however not a very common food source for these beautiful birds.

Do Peacocks Eat Meat?

Peafowl does consume meat. They catch lizards, amphibians, and sometimes even small animals like mice. They need protein to help them stay healthy.

Do Peacocks Eat Bread?

Peafowl is quite fond of grains. They will also eat bread if they find it. A little bit of bread as an occasional treat is perfectly safe for these birds but they shouldn’t eat too much bread.

What Do Peacocks Eat?

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Peacocks are exotic creatures and are widely considered to be the most beautiful bird in the world. The males, especially, have beautiful feathers that garner the attention of people of all ages.

To maintain this beauty, they need to maintain a healthy body. Thus, they must feed on a highly nutritious diet that is rich in protein.

Peacocks eat pretty much whatever they can find. They are omnivores that feast on pests, plants, and miniature creatures. They are not picky eaters and will consume anything they find consumable. However, depending on their habitat, their diet may vary.

Wild peacocks who can roam freely will eat anything that will fit in their beak. On the other hand, pet peafowls tend to be more selective about their meals.

In this article, we will discuss in detail what peacocks prefer to eat and what you should avoid giving them.

Table of Contents

Insects

Insects are a part of many birds’ diets. Peacocks are one of those birds that consume any kind of meat. They are often seen rummaging through the soil to look for slugs or other insects.

They can even fly short distances to catch their prey in the air. Insects not only satisfy their appetite but also provide many nutrients.

It is possible for peafowl to gain enough protein by eating solely insects but if there are not enough insects available for them, it is important to provide them with another protein source. This way, they do not lack important nutrients required to keep them healthy.

There are many types of insects that peacocks like. Some of which are listed below:

Amphibians or Reptiles

Amphibians and reptiles make a delicious diet for many wild birds and peacocks are no exception. Experts believe that due their voracious hunting, peacocks have endangered a few species of these animals.

Peacocks are also famous for their ability to fight and eat snakes. In Sanskrit, the species name of the Indian Blue Peacock refers to the killer of snakes. Peacocks use their sharp vision and sense of hearing to find the location of these reptiles.

They mostly find such prey on the ground. Here are some of the amphibians and reptiles that peacocks love to savor:

Grains or Legumes

Grains are another of peacocks’ favorite meals. Studies have shown that some farmers have had to endure crop loss in an Indian village because of crop pests that included Indian peacocks. The ruined crops included wheat, lentils, and maize. They pecked on the ripening grains of wheat and lentils, destroying the farmers’ harvests.

After this, villagers started saving them some grains and feeding them to the peacocks. The legumes that peacocks ate the most were:

According to other research, java peacocks and white peacocks prefer eating millet specifically. Indian peafowls were more interested in consuming maize.

Game Bird Feed

Peacocks also consume game bird feed. According to some studies, turkey’s feed ration proves to be a great meal for peacocks. The reason for that is that their physiology resembles that of young turkey fowl.

Vegetables and Fruits

Peacocks love eating vegetables and fruits. Various peacocks might have different preferences for different fruits. However, most of them can eat any fruit that they find.

Fruits make a healthy treat for them. They provide many health benefits like improved digestion or skin repair. They also prevent feather problems, inflammation, and other chronic diseases.

Here is a list of fruits/vegetables that peacocks consume:

Berries

When in the wild, berries are one of the fruit categories that peacocks love consuming. They provide them with high nutrients such as vitamins or minerals. As berries are sugary, you should only give them in moderation.

Peafowl enjoy the following berries:

Pet Food

When peafowl are in captivity, their owners need to provide them food that is high in nutrients and proteins. This can include cat food and poultry feed.

For poultry feed, peacocks prefer concentrated grains. If you need to feed them pet food, go for dry pet food items.

What Should You Feed Them as Pets?

Peafowl require a particular level of nutrients to maintain the beauty of their feathers. Keratin or protein composes ninety percent of their feathers. So, it is wise to provide them with food rich in protein.

For the pet peafowls, special arrangements should be made. Mixed grains or millet are the perfect diets for young birds.

A full-grown bird needs vegetables, fruits, meat, leaves, and grass. You can also feed nuts, eggs, grains, or rice to pet fowls.

They appreciate different food combinations. For instance, meat and grains or vegetables with insects.

If they roam free in your garden, they might enjoy their meal according to their choice. However, it is not wise to leave them wholly on their own.

You should get commercial food made especially for peacocks. If you do not have access to peacock food, feeding them on pheasant or turkey ration would be sufficient. This food should formulate one-third of their overall diet.

What Do Peacocks Eat in the Wild?

Peacocks are omnivorous. When in the wild, they can eat anything including, meat, insects, vegetables, or flowers. You might even see them picking stones or pebbles from the ground. They have a muscle called the gizzard, like chickens, which helps them grind up every kind of food.

They are exceptionally good at hunting their prey. They use their sharp eyesight, sense of hearing, and fast reflexes to grab live meals. If needed they also glide in the air.

In the wild, they mostly consume snakes, frogs, fish, and any other small animal.

What Do Peacocks Drink?

Like every other creature, peacocks prefer drinking fresh water. In the wild, they just use any source to quench their thirst.

Three to four gallons of water is the perfect quantity for a peafowl. You might also provide them with apple juice or berry juice.

When you keep them as a pet, it is necessary to replace old water with fresh water daily. In winter, try to provide them with lukewarm water.

What Do Baby Peacocks Eat?

In the wild, baby peafowls tend to eat whatever adult fowls eat. Peachicks are trained by their parents about what to look for and how to grab their prey. For 24-28 hours, they tend to survive on the natural nutrients they absorbed before hatching.

They try to stick to their mothers until they are capable of finding food on their own.

As a pet, they should be provided with a separate coop. Plus, you must feed them processed food for their healthy growth. It might include boiled eggs, chopped grains, boiled vegetables, and ground berries.

Their special food might include items with at least 30% protein. When they reach the age of 6 months, their protein intake can be reduced to 20%. After that, they are ready to enjoy everything an adult peacock eats.

Here is a list of food items that are best for baby peacocks:

Grains

Grains make the best meal for baby peacocks. In winter, grain digestion helps them to avoid getting cold. You should try to grind grains because they are easier in that form for them to swallow. Maize, wheat, barley, and rye are good choices of grains for baby fowls.

Seeds

Seeds will also provide them with important nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Their favorite seeds are sunflower seeds, peas, peanuts, and watermelon seeds.

Sometimes, when provided with fruits, they tend to eat only seeds and leave the flesh.

Arthropods

Insects that you could feed to baby peacocks include:

You can check this article to know more.

Food to Avoid

Sometimes people tend to feed their peacocks their leftovers. Food items such as French fries, burgers, or pizzas, etc. are high in carbs and low in nutrients. When peacocks fill themselves with such a meal, they are more likely to gain fat. It also leads to nutrient deficiencies in them.

Some food items are not harmful to peafowl, but they should still be used only as treats. For instance, you should not feed your fowl large amounts of corn. They might like it, but they will be missing the required nutrients. Corn is best used as a winter supplement to provide body heat at night.

If a peafowl ingests a high amount of junk food, it might get inflicted with infections, weight gain, and heart diseases.

A high-fat meal could also lead to liver disease. The fowls might experience diarrhea, itchiness, and breathing difficulty. In the case of the severity of disease, death might also occur.

Here is a list of must-avoid food items:

Change in the Diet of Baby Peacocks

If you have been feeding the same meal to peachicks for a while, you might want to introduce a change in their diet. If you wish to do so, do not bring a sudden change. It might lead to digestive problems.

You might start feeding them on new things along with the old feed. You will need to continue with the old feed for a week or two. After they get used to the new meals, you can just stop feeding them the previous food items.

Why Do Peacocks Need Protein Rich Food?

Peacocks are popular because of the beauty of their feathers. They are made up of keratin which is a hard form of protein. A fowl’s feathers can be affected by many factors. For instance, nutritional deficiencies, age, or other diseases.

Thus, if peafowls do not consume protein-rich food, their feathers might deteriorate with time.

Therefore, it is important to provide them with protein so that they could maintain their healthy plumage. Protein also plays a significant role in maintaining their reproduction system. Repair of tissues and brain development is also enhanced by protein intake.

Can Peacocks Eat Bread?

“Can peacocks eat bread” is a commonly asked question. The answer is that yes they can eat bread. It is not harmful to them at all.

You can feed them bread occasionally. However, the issue is that it does not provide any nutritional content to them. That is why you should avoid giving it to them on a routine basis.

Common Peacock Types and Their Diet

There are three common types of peacocks. There lies a small difference between their diet preferences. Let’s have a look at them:

Indian Peacocks

Indian peacocks are the most popular variety. They are aboriginals of India and Sri Lanka. However, they can be seen in Eastern Asian regions. Their beautiful plumage and blue heads make them exquisite to see.

Their diet includes:

Javanese Peacocks

Javanese peacocks are also known as Java or Green Peacocks. They are found in southeast Asia on the Indonesian island of Java. They are as beautiful as blue peafowl. Their feathers and head are green in color. They are the strongest peacocks among all the breeds. They can fly higher than Indian peafowls despite their large size.

They like eating the following items:

Congo Peafowls

The Congo breed is native to the African continent. These peacocks are not as beautiful as other varieties. However, they do have a beautiful blue shade on their body. They are more like pheasants than other peacocks.

Their diet includes:

When Do Peacocks Eat

Peacocks are more active in the daytime and tend to catch prey all day long. As their food lies on the ground, daytime suits them the most.

At night, they leave the ground and take refuge among high places. In spite of their enormous size, they can fly and sit even on rooftops.

Final Thoughts

As peacocks are omnivores, they can eat anything including insects, reptiles, amphibians, fruits, and vegetables.

When they wander freely, they scratch on the ground or fly to find themselves food. They might even rummage through your garbage can for a treat.

When you keep them as a pet, it is important to provide them with supplementary food. If you can’t find a special peacock feed, gamebird feed can also work. Plus, allowing them to roam free in your garden will allow them to find treats according to their mood.

When it’s all said and done, do not forget to provide them with fresh water twice a day.