A male peacock uses his large fan as a display to attract a mate. When not used for display, the fan feathers trail behind the bird. In this position, the fan feathers are called a train, like the trailing fabric on a bride’s gown. Female peafowl do not have fans.
The male’s fan is made up of some 200 long feathers. These beautiful feathers can be some 60 inches (about 150 centimeters) in length. They are greenish-blue and feature bold spots that look like eyes. As the peacock displays his fan, he shakes its feathers so that they make a rattling noise. This also helps attract the female’s attention.
