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Peahens
Fowl party
Did you know there's no such thing as a female peacock? What we're seeing here is a trio of peahens – the term for ladies of the peafowl family. Lacking the fancy tail feathers boasted by males, peahens spend plenty of time on the prowl for peacocks' eye-popping posterior plumage, the males' main signal for attracting mates. Why so besotted with bodacious backside feathers? Some biologists say it's just an affinity for pretty colours, while others cite the handicap principle – the idea that toting long trails of feathers is so burdensome, only the fittest birds manage to survive with them. Either way, let's hope this peahen posse knows how to pick 'em.
Fowl party
Did you know there's no such thing as a female peacock? What we're seeing here is a trio of peahens – the term for ladies of the peafowl family. Lacking the fancy tail feathers boasted by males, peahens spend plenty of time on the prowl for peacocks' eye-popping posterior plumage, the males' main signal for attracting mates. Why so besotted with bodacious backside feathers? Some biologists say it's just an affinity for pretty colours, while others cite the handicap principle – the idea that toting long trails of feathers is so burdensome, only the fittest birds manage to survive with them. Either way, let's hope this peahen posse knows how to pick 'em.
Did you know there's no such thing as a female peacock?
© Safique Hazarika Photography / Moment / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :