These astonishing pictures show a striking white peacock with its full plumage on display.The 'rare' bird was photographed at Bird Gardens Scotland in Oxton, Scottish Borders, as the elegant creatures perform their mating rituals.The centre, which has been operating for around five years, is hoping to see at least four peacock chicks born this spring.The sanctuary is home to four - two female and two male - white peacocks, which are three-years-old and originate from south Asia.Mark Haillay, a director at the centre where the dazzling peacock was pictured on Wednesday (March 4), said: "The birds have been here a couple of years."They're quite rare."They're from India originally but are the same bread."They do catch the eye and stand out."At dusk or if they're up a tree people see them from a long way away."They display to each other, to other birds and to themselves in window reflections."They're fairly tame."They won't let you touch them but they'll hang around your feet."I like them, they're always friendly and they never stray."The gardens, which is building a new visitor centre and classroom to help educate visitors, is home to other birds, including flamingos, rheas, emus, parrots, rare and domestic ducks and chickens, and endangered waterfowl. The bird population is expected to grow this year with new arrivals of white peacock chicks.Mark said: "We're hoping for chicks this year - four or maybe five or six."We usually get around three per year."It'll be breeding season soon but they're still courting."It takes a month to incubate them and the babies hatch around May."
These astonishing pictures show a striking white peacock with its full plumage on display.The 'rare' bird was photographed at Bird Gardens Scotland in Oxton, Scottish Borders, as the elegant creatures perform their mating rituals.The centre, which has been operating for around five years, is hoping to see at least four peacock chicks born this spring.The sanctuary is home to four - two female and two male - white peacocks, which are three-years-old and originate from south Asia.Mark Haillay, a director at the centre where the dazzling peacock was pictured on Wednesday (March 4), said: "The birds have been here a couple of years."They're quite rare."They're from India originally but are the same bread."They do catch the eye and stand out."At dusk or if they're up a tree people see them from a long way away."They display to each other, to other birds and to themselves in window reflections."They're fairly tame."They won't let you touch them but they'll hang around your feet."I like them, they're always friendly and they never stray."The gardens, which is building a new visitor centre and classroom to help educate visitors, is home to other birds, including flamingos, rheas, emus, parrots, rare and domestic ducks and chickens, and endangered waterfowl.
The bird population is expected to grow this year with new arrivals of white peacock chicks.Mark said: "We're hoping for chicks this year - four or maybe five or six."We usually get around three per year."It'll be breeding season soon but they're still courting."It takes a month to incubate them and the babies hatch around May."
