Peacocks are among the worlds most beautiful birds. They can be seen most typically at zoos among the United States and in other nations. The common belief is that peacocks are not able to take flight easily because of the large tails they possess; however, recent research has proven this not the case.
According to the Huffington Post article Turns Out Peacocks Tails Aren’t Such A Drag After All, researchers from the University of Leeds in England have conducted studies that prove this popular theory wrong. I personally never even knew that peacocks could fly in the first place so this article was particularly interesting to me.
Dr. Graham Askew studied peacocks initially with their normal tails then preceded by clipping the tails off to see if it would make a difference. The surprising results revealed that, despite the weight difference, the peacocks were still not able to take off anymore quickly than normal.
It’s clear that the tail is not used for flying purposes; however, the article states that, “the peacock tail is considered a prime example of sexual selection, a form of natural selection in which some animals have specific features that make it easier for them to attract mates–and thus reproduce. Other examples include lions’ manes and elks’ antlers.”
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/peacock-tail-sexual-selection_n_5843950.html?utm_hp_ref=science
I find it very interesting that peacocks cannot fly! It makes me wonder why they couldn’t fly though. Wouldn’t you think that birds that can fly are more like than birds who cannot? So due to natural selection the birds who couldn’t fly would die out over time. I researched this article to learn more about it.here
I think it is important to learn why certain animals function the way they do, but it seems like scientist often disregard the actual safety of these animals. I have conflicting feelings, wanting to learn more about the world around us and also wanting to ensure the conservation of life. These peacocks are just one instance where I believe it unnecessary to find a reason why they are the way they are.