Peacocks of Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary

Despite their ability to fly up to tall branches peacocks are too reluctant when it comes to flying. 

In my previous photo story on gharials, I have spoken all necessary details on Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary which will help you to plan your trip (Click here for a quick read). Commonly found wildlife in Bethuadahari forest are spotted deer, mongoose, porcupine, palm civet, jackal, jungle cat, python, cobra, common krait etc. Although this sanctuary is a potential source of deer for translocation, I wasn't lucky enough to spot even a single deer. I had to pacify myself by clicking photos of gharials, nilgai, peacocks and few other birds which were all in enclosures, certainly not something desirable for a photo enthusiast in a wildlife sanctuary. My only fortune cookie in actual wildlife spotting was a mongoose.

Peacocks are omnivorous and feed on seeds, crops, insects, fruits, small reptiles and even human excreta!

There were quite a few peacocks in Bethuadahari wildlife sanctuary to console the shutterbug in me. Good thing with peacocks is they are so damn colorful, you can capture them decently under the intense midday sun. Another plus point with peacock is its larger size in comparison to other birds that helps one to photograph it even with a lens of relatively shorter focal length. Most budget point and shoot cameras come with optical zoom up to 4-5X and that is enough to fill your frame with a gorgeous peacock. Although fanning display of feathers (train) is the essence of peacock photography, you won't be able to witness the show in dry seasons. Did you know that there is no color pigment contained in peacock's tail feathers, except brown? Those magical green, blue, turquoise or iridescent colors you find in our national bird's plumage are due to structural coloration, a physical/optical phenomenon! That's all for today... I'll be back soon with photos of a captive Nilgai.

Peacock tail feathers are pigmented brown, but due to structural coloration they appear so colorful!