The Peacock's New Feathers

The neighbour's peafowl have moulted over the last few months. We didn't gather up too many stunning tail feathers but we got quite a lot of nice peahen feathers which went towards making Easter cards.

This weekend, I noticed that the dominant peacock is developing new tail feathers. He sat on the rail of our deck and preened them with great care.

Interestingly, the feathers seem to be perfectly formed but not yet fully-sized. It may be that they need to grow more or it may be that the bird is still immature. The colours aren't quite ready yet either - copper-coloured rather than the expected blue/green.

I had been wondering how peacock feathers developed - or any patterned or shaped feathers for that matter. Sadly, I'm none the wiser as even the internet doesn't seem to know.

Check back tomorrow for a video of the preening process.