The peacock is a magnificent bird. It’s a creature of inspiration to most of us, who know (or hope) at some level that we are lovely, but are often intimidated about displaying our true colours in all their splendour. The peacock displays his beautiful plumage for all to see.
- Beautiful Blue Peacock. Photo by: Absinthius (Flickr)
A peacock feather is a great example of a fractal in nature. Its iridescent plumage is remarkable and stunning. The white feathers have a pearlescent quality about them and reflect a different hue depending on the viewing angle.
White Beauty. Photo by: Guiseppe Toscano (on Flickr)
Peacock - Warwickshire Castle. Photo by: Haribo (Flickr)
Some types of art depict peacocks looking backwards, towards their own tail. A peacock’s feathers are renewed each year so this is considered a symbol for renewal. Cultures around the world often pair peacocks and doves as focal points in the Tree of Life designs. The one below is from India.
Tree of Life Peacock (www.exoticindiaart.com/product/PB77/)
Peacocks are pure of heart. They pair with a mate and are loyal and faithful to their partners. To many, they also symbolise eternal love. The bright spots are known as ’eyes’ and inspired the Greek myth that the goddess Hera placed the hundred eyes of her slain giant (Argus) on the tail of her favourite bird.
Blue Eyes. Photo by: TodayIsAGoodDay (Flickr)
Peacocks are a symbol of beauty, reminding us to take pleasure in life. It is a symbol of beauty, prosperity, royalty, love, compassion, soul and peace. In buddhism the peacock symbolises purity and their feathers are highly prized.
White Peacock. Photo by: Be Khe (Flickr)
I love this next picture. It’s a hybrid species, a cross between a white and blue peacock.
The White and the Blue. Photo by: Chi Lui (Flickr)
In one of Aesop’s fables, the peacock goes to Juno (the Roman name for the greek goddess, Hera) and he complains that the nightingale has a sweet song, and he does not. Juno replied that the peacock has great beauty and size. The peacock asked what good was his beauty without a great voice. Juno wisely replied that every creature has its gifts and faults, and they should be content with all they have and who they are.
WOW!!
The white peacock is so beautiful.
Beautiful!! But the last one isn’t a cross, it’s just a piebald. Rare and EXTREMELY beautiful
Glad you like the post – yes, they are amazingly beautiful creatures.
Its beatiuful
the white and blue almost look photoshopped!! they are magnificent creatures though… truly beautiful. but the sound they make is dreadful!! i wish they sounded as gorgeous as they look, but thats most definitely NOT the case. some of my classmates families actually raised peacocks and i got to see, and hear, them up close.
Yes, the white and blue is amazing – and it’s real !!! Some friends have a property and their neighbour has peacocks that roam and sometimes roost in their trees at night !
How are peacock feathers “fractal-like”?
Like this article,..COOL,BEAUTIFUL,..
Hi Alysha,
well I’m not a math expert, but I do love investigating fractals. You asked Why is a feather fractal like? One of the main things about a fractal is the property of “self similarity” which means that when you split up the main object, or zoom in on it, each part represents a smaller copy of the whole object. This is easier to see in some things (like a fern leaf) than others and there are varying degrees or types of “self similarity” that range from strict replication to a more loose replication. A feather is the lower end of the self similarity scale, but is still acknowledged as a fractal pattern. If you zoom in on the feather, you can see the pattern of the feather replicate itself, but it is limited and doesn’t continue to infinity. Check out the Cornell University site for a great page on feathers and their patterns up close! Hope that helps!!
i just love the pictures. peacocks are so beautiful
I LOVE PEACOCKS!!!!!….
PEACOCKS is so beautiful…very..very..beautiful…animal
I like WHITE PEACOCKS because the colour is white ,that is my favorit colour…and WHITE PEACOCKS so beautiful…
AND PEACOCKS IS MY FAVORIT ANIMAL!!!!
it is good peacock
This is the right blog for anybody who wishes to find out about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject that’s been discussed for ages. Excellent stuff, just excellent!
Fabulous! I wrote a poem when I saw and read it.