Glitter Peafowl

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Heaven Above. Haven Below.

This content takes place in the Haven setting of Imagindarium's Creation.

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Index / Lexica / Timeline

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Heaven Above. Haven Below.

This content takes place in the Haven setting of Imagindarium's Creation.

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Index / Lexica / Timeline

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"When I first saw this magnificent creature, I was awestruck. How could I not be? What I saw was easily the most gorgeous creature on the face of this world."

—Norton Hollister, explorer

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The Glitter Peafowl, also referred to as the Golden Peafowl, the Gilded Peafowl, and the Bird of Beauty is a rare bird often seen in the deepest jungles of Haven. Known for the males’ illustrious golden feathers and their ability to scatter a cloud of golden dust, the Glitter Peafowl is among the most beautiful animals in the entire world. The males are also known for being captured to serve as an exotic pet and gold dust producer.

Characteristics

Appearance

The Glitter Peafowl is a fairly large bird standing around as tall as an adult Gnarvesh. Its body is covered in shimmering, iridescent feathers that sparkle when exposed to light. While both males and females possess shining feathers, only the males possess the illustrious golden tail that the species is known for, the females instead possessing a mixture of brown and silver feathers near their hindquarters. A feathered crest is also present atop the males’ heads, the same golden color as their tails. While capable of flight, the Glitter Peafowl’s wings are somewhat small, meaning they can only fly for a few hundred feet before landing.

The tail of the male Glitter Peafowl stretches for more than half of its total body length, comprising more than two-hundred individual feathers. Each of these feathers contains at least three bright red spots, akin to a shining ruby. When the males lift their tails up, these spots are often the thing that deters most predators, provided it manages to get close without breathing in any gold dust. While most males possess red spots, they are also known to possess green or blue spots as well.

Biology

The tail feathers of the male Gilded Peafowl let off a shining substance known commonly as gold dust. This dust builds up over time, starting at the base of the tail before slowly making its way towards the end. Specimens with a large dust buildup on their tails are often seen with it trailing behind them, making the Glitter Peafowl somewhat easy to track. The dust will eventually dissipate over time, usually after a few hours. Some of the dust inevitably sinks into the ground, bunching up into tiny clusters that often get mistaken for actual gold.

Should a creature breathe in the Glitter Peafowl’s gold dust, then it will become heavily disoriented, growing tired and sluggish. The male Glitter Peafowl usually scatters this dust in a large cloud around itself, using its tail like a fan to blow as much of it into a foe’s general direction. After this, the male Glitter Peafowl must wait for the gold dust to build up again, relying on its numerous spots to defend it in the event of another attack.

Glitter Peafowls are omnivores, usually feeding on fruits, nuts, grains, insects, reptiles, rodents, and smaller birds. However, they seem to prefer cooked and pre-prepared food, often making efforts to steal food from those who travel through their territories. Many rich eccentrics attribute their capture of a Glitter Peafowl to feeding them some of the finest foods they can buy in order to gain the creature’s trust.

When Glitter Peafowls mate, the female lays around five eggs per clutch. These eggs are speckled with glittering spots and patterns, making them more akin to a hunk of precious metal than anything a bird would lay. The eggs take around two months to hatch, the infants taking around two to three years to mature. For the males, it takes them around another year or so for their tails to grow to their maximum length. A growing tail possesses no gold dust, which allows those with a keen eye to determine a male Glitter Peafowl’s age.

Behavior

Male Glitter Peafowls are notorious showoffs, spreading their illustrious tails for any potential mates. Despite this, they are known for being very loyal once a mate is secured, the pair usually staying together for life. The pair takes turns to go out to search for food, one staying behind to keep an eye on the nest. Young males often try to intimidate larger creatures by shaking their incomplete tails, though this usually ends badly for them as most predators can see through the bluff.

Glitter Peafowls mark their territory by leaving patches of dust behind on rocks and trees. One can tell if they’ve wandered near a Glitter Peafowl’s nest by seeing small puffs of dust wafting through the air. Should one stay in the area for too long, then they will find themselves becoming more and more tired until they’ve completely fallen asleep. This usually means danger for any unlucky travelers, not because of the gold dust, but because of predators seeking an easy meal.

Glitter Peafowls & People

Due to their beauty and rarity, many rich people have hired trappers to go out and catch Glitter Peafowls as pets. They usually try to gain the creature’s trust by feeding it well-prepared foods, leading it into a cage to be taken away. Once captured, the Glitter Peafowl is transported to its new home, though it often develops severe anxiety upon being captured. A scared Glitter Peafowl produces no gold dust, so it must be given time to adjust to its new surroundings.

Those who have managed to tame a Glitter Peafowl will find themselves becoming the center of attention among their circle, their new pet becoming the subject of much conversation. Additionally, the creature’s gold dust can be harvested and sold off, valued as a very potent sleeping drug. However, one must be careful not to spook the Glitter Peafowl during the harvesting process, as this usually results in the dust becoming scattered and useless.

Notable Individuals

TBA