Technically, only peacocks are large, colorful pheasants (typically blue and green) known for their iridescent tails. These tail feathers, or coverts, spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird’s total body length and boast colorful “eye” markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. The large train is used in mating rituals and courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird’s back and touches the ground on either side. Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains.

The term “peacock” is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl.

Suitable males may gather harems of several females, each of which will lay three to five eggs. In fact, wild peafowl often roost in forest trees and gather in groups called parties.

Peacocks are ground-feeders that eat insects, plants, and small creatures. There are two familiar peacock species. The blue peacock lives in India and Sri Lanka, while the green peacock is found in Java and Myanmar (Burma). A more distinct and little-known species, the Congo peacock, inhabits African rain forests.

Peafowl such as the blue peacock have been admired by humans and kept as pets for thousands of years. Selective breeding has created some unusual color combinations, but wild birds are themselves bursting with vibrant hues. They can be testy and do not mix well with other domestic birds.

Fast Facts

Type: Bird
Diet: Omnivore
Average life span in the wild: 20 years
Size: Body, 35 to 50 in (90 to 130 cm); Tail, 5 ft (1.5 m)
Weight: 8.75 to 13 lbs (4 to 6 kg)
Group name: Party
Did you know? A male peafowl is one of the largest flying birds when the combined length of its train and its large wingspan are considered.
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man.

Source: National Geographic

The degree of self-clinging that we have is the measure of the harms we suffer. ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt

Of all the flying insects, dragonflies just might be the most charming. They don’t sting or bite. They don’t carry diseases or germs. And they have bright colors and an amazing way of flying. Dragonflies live in most parts of the world, but they prefer to live near ponds or streams.

Dragonflies and their smaller cousins, damselflies, spend most of their life as larva, or baby dragonflies. They hatch from eggs under water and feed on water insects, tiny fish and even tadpoles. They can stay in the larval stage for up to two years, depending on the species. Then they leave the water and come ashore. Their hard exoskeleton cracks and their abdomen, or bottom part, expands. Their wings harden and they become adults. Unfortunately, most adult dragonflies live only a few weeks.

Fun Facts About Dragonflies for Kids

There are over 3,600 kinds of dragonflies on the planet.
Dragonflies have sharp teeth. They are fierce hunters. Some dragonflies float over the water like hawks looking for prey. Others dart about grabbing prey quickly. Dragonflies catch insects with their feet. They are expert hunters.
A dragonfly can eat hundreds of mosquitoes in a single day.
Dragonflies can fly straight up and down and side to side.

Source: easyscienceforkids
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The important thing is not to do anything that we might have to regret later on. Therefore we should examine ourselves honestly. Unfortunately, our ego-clinging is so gross that, even if we do possess some small quality, we think that we are wonderful. On the other hand, if we have some great defect, we do not even notice it. There is a saying that, ‘On the peak of pride the water of good qualities does not stay.’ So, we should be very meticulous. If, after thoroughly examining ourselves, we can put our hands on our hearts and honestly think, ‘My actions are all right,’ then that is a sign that we are getting some experience in mind training.

~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

When the mind is positive, body and speech, the servants of the mind, will of course be positive also. But how are we to make the mind positive? At the moment, we cling to the notion that our minds are real entities. When someone helps us, we think, ‘That person has been so good to me. I must be kind to him in return and make him my friend for lives and lives to come.’ This only goes to show that we do not know about the empty nature of the mind. As for our enemies, we think of how to harm them as much as possible… We think like that simply because we think our anger is a true and permanent reality – while in fact it is nothing at all. We should therefore rest in the empty nature of the mind beyond all mental elaborations, in that state which is free from clinging, a clarity beyond concepts. ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The way I treat my body is not disconnected from the way I treat my family or the commitment I have to peace on our earth. ― Jack Kornfield

Even Socrates, who lived a very frugal and simple life, loved to go to the market. When his students asked about this, he replied, “I love to go and see all the things I am happy without.” ― Jack Kornfield