Peacocks are opportunistic omnivores. In spite of their elegant appearance, which might imply a more discerning palette, they are more gourmands than gourmets. While members of the pheasant family, they are less discriminating about their diets than some of their cousins. Peafowl will taste almost anything once, and eat a far wider range of objects than might be expected. Their diets include fruits, grains, insects and even snakes.

1

Fruits Eaten by Adults

The peahen does not have the same brilliant plumage as the male.

Adult peafowl eat a wide range of fruits, vegetables, grains, insects and meats. While the bulk of the diet is made up of grains, vegetables, insects and other meats, fruit is also an important part of the peafowl's diet. They will try and enjoy a wide variety of fruits, including berries, apples, peaches and pears. In fact, there are few fruits that they will not happily devour.

  • Adult peafowl eat a wide range of fruits, vegetables, grains, insects and meats.
2

Young Peafowl

Peacock chick are active even when young.

Young peafowl, called chicks, are up and running--and eating--almost from the time they hatch. As growing birds they eat everything their parents do, and more. The dietary needs of chicks demands a greater variety, and a more dense nutritional count than that of adult birds. Where grains make up the bulk of the adult diet, the chicks need more vegetables, protein and fruits to provide the vitamins and building blocks for growth.

  • Young peafowl, called chicks, are up and running--and eating--almost from the time they hatch.
  • Where grains make up the bulk of the adult diet, the chicks need more vegetables, protein and fruits to provide the vitamins and building blocks for growth.
3

Domestic Diet

White peacock

Domesticated peafowl are popular in the United States. In the wild they have a widely varied diet. When kept in captivity they should be fed the same staple diet of grains and greens as other pheasants, supplemented by additional fruits and proteins. Peafowl generally will eat any fruit that a human will. Individual tastes will vary from bird to bird, but there is no fruit that can be eaten by a person that, in moderation, is harmful to peafowl.

  • Domesticated peafowl are popular in the United States.
  • Individual tastes will vary from bird to bird, but there is no fruit that can be eaten by a person that, in moderation, is harmful to peafowl.