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India presented five Indian peacocks to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).
The group comprised four blue peafowl and one rare white-feathered male.
The Indian Peafowl was declared India's National Bird in 1963.
It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and placed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
White peafowl result from leucism, not albinism — they retain normal eye pigmentation.
White peafowl are produced by leucism, a genetic condition causing partial or complete loss of pigmentation in feathers while normal pigment is retained in the eyes. Albinism, by contrast, eliminates melanin throughout the body, including the eyes, which appear pink or red. So the simplest field test is the eyes: a leucistic bird has normally coloured eyes, an albino does not. This distinction is a recurring examination point whenever a white animal appears in the news.
Simple Analogy: Leucism fades the paint on the outside; albinism removes the pigment from the whole system, eyes included.
General Awareness > Environment > National Symbols and Species
GS Paper III > Environment > Biodiversity and Conservation Law
A genetic condition causing partial or complete loss of pigmentation in feathers or skin, with normal eye pigmentation retained.
The iridescent eye-spots on the peacock's train feathers.
Distinct differences in appearance between males and females of the same species.
The pheasant family, to which the Indian Peafowl belongs.