Peacocks, or more accurately peafowl, are native primarily to the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Specifically:
- The Indian peafowl (also called the blue peafowl) is native to India and Sri Lanka. It inhabits open forests near streams, cultivated areas, and regions around Buddhist and Hindu temples. It is found across most of India and Sri Lanka, from lowlands to mountainous regions up to about 1,800 meters elevation
- The green peafowl is native to Southeast Asia, including Myanmar (Burma), Java, and surrounding areas
- The Congo peafowl is native to the forested interior of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa
Thus, peafowl species are native to South Asia (India, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia, and Central Africa. The Indian peafowl is the most widely recognized and culturally significant species, especially in India and Sri Lanka where it is the national bird
. Peafowl have been introduced to many other parts of the world, including Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Americas, but their original native ranges are as described above
