It is the rare child who is not fascinated by the exotic feathers of the peacock.
Peacocks are a natural draw for children of kindergarten age. With their brightly colored tails and exotic look, peacocks have the air of fantasy about them. When teaching kindergartners about peacocks, stick to simple and basic facts. Teach young students about the classification of peacocks, about their colors, about the habits and about their technical specification with a variety of easy-to-learn and easy-to-remember facts.
Naming Facts
Although we tend to think of the peacock as one animal, the term "peacock" actually refers only to the males. Females are called "peahens," and collectively, the species is known as "peafowl." Babies are called "peachicks," and a flock of peafowl is called a "party" or a "pride." There are three kinds of peafowl: Indian, green and Congo. The Indian is the most common in North America, and is the type we typically encounter in zoos. Children might also be interested to know that the Indian peafowl is the official bird of India, and a sacred animal in Hinduism. The spots on the tail are said to symbolize the eyes of the gods.
Colorful Facts
Children might be shocked to learn that only the male peacock has bright, colorful feathers. The female peahen has only drab, brown feathers. The male has bright feathers to attract a mate, and he shakes his feathers in a kind of mating dance. It is also interesting to note that the bright colors in the peacocks tail come mostly from light reflection. The feathers contain barbs and rod that reflect light in a certain way to produce the bright colors.
Behavior Facts
In addition to the peacock's mating dance, this animal has some behaviors that young children will find interesting. For instance, peacocks can fly, but they rarely do. They mostly fly up into trees when evading predators. In addition, peacocks are omnivorous. They get most of their food by scratching the ground with their feet, and they eat mostly seeds and grains, but also small reptiles. Peacocks are social animals that need companionship, but males can be touchy and tend not to get along with one another.
Technical Facts
Children might also be interested to know that peacocks are rather large birds. They can weight between 8.75 and 13 pounds, and measure 35 to 50 inches. With their tails, however, they can be as long as five feet. The male peacock is considered to be one the largest flying birds in the world. In the wild, peacocks can live as long as 20 years.
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