Peacocks can fly somewhat. They aren’t great at it, but their larger wingspan enables them to travel quite far. It usually takes some effort for them to get airborne, which can involve taking a few hops before they can finally take off.

Peacocks like to roost in high places, so they need to fly in order to reach them. It isn’t odd for them to roost in tall trees or roofs.

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Can Peacocks Fly in the Sky?

Peacocks cannot fly in the sky like other birds, though they may be able to sustain flight for a short amount of time. They cannot travel long distances like some other birds.

You will never see a peacock fly very high or for very long. Generally, they try to avoid flying as much as possible, likely because they aren’t great at it. They aren’t graceful while flying either.

blue or indian peacock
Image Credit: Cock-Robin, Pixabay

How High Can a Peacock Jump?

Peacocks can jump 8 feet without the use of their wings at all. Even captive birds with clipped wings have this ability, which is important to keep in mind when you’re trying to contain them.

Peacocks that can’t fly because their wings are clipped can still roost off the ground, as they can jump to reach high places. For them to “climb” a tree, they will jump from branch to branch.

Why Can’t Peacocks Fly?

Peacock_Piqsels
Image Credit: Piqsels

Peacocks can’t fly because they are weighed down by their tails, which they use for breeding purposes. They are also a member of the pheasant family, which is full of birds that aren’t great at flying. For instance, the turkey is a member of this family. Therefore, it is likely that a peacock wouldn’t be good at flying, anyway.

Peacocks are quite large for their body weight and have a bit of a round shape, which isn’t the most streamlined physique.

Also, most of a peacock’s food is found on the ground, so they don’t have much reason to fly and dive like other birds. They usually live in wooded areas, where they use dense foliage as protection. They know that they can’t fly to escape predators, so they use the trees and bushes to shield themselves when possible.

Having wings to fly away from predators isn’t exactly helpful when you’re surrounded by branches. Therefore, they would have little use for wings to begin with.

All these factors contribute to a peacock’s inability to fly, even if their tail’s weight is the primary factor. It is likely that peacocks wouldn’t be able to fly even if their tails weren’t so long.divider-bird

Conclusion

Peacocks can fly somewhat; they just aren’t great at it. For this reason, they spend much of their life on the ground, and it is rare to see them actually fly.

Many factors contribute to their inability to fly. For one, they have a hard time flying with that big tail. Also, they are heavy and belong to a family of birds that isn’t good at flying in general.


Featured Image Credit: endri yana yana, Pixabay