The peacock feather, a masterpiece of an ancient seduction tool
The peacock, Leon, fans his tail to court his mate, displaying all his feathers in a splendid wheel, impressing with his beauty. The feathers, in hues of blues and greens, about 200 in number, rise up over 60 inches. They consist of a long shaft, called "rachis," surrounded by volatile barbs on the right and left parts.
These green barbs group together at the end of the feather, attached by barbules, to display different colors: bluish, purple, golden. They densify to form the peacock's eye, known as the ocellus. Not all peacock feathers have an ocellus; thus, the feathers closest to the ground are sword-shaped, green and golden.
At its base, the peacock's tail is made of a multitude of small feathers in emerald and golden colors, the former featuring very small ocelli, while the latter are just small plumes whose tips sparkle brightly. The blue peacock is only blue at the breastplate and the front of the body, entirely composed of small blue downy feathers, more akin to down than to feathers.
Once the mating season is over, the peacock naturally loses all of its feathers during what is called the molt. They fall out to renew each year, allowing him to perform, ever more beautifully, his magnificent wheel.
We offer these feathers in their entirety, from the smallest to the largest, up to a limit of 48 inches.
