Local names
Mor, Manjur, Mayura (Hindi)
Mayur (Bengali)
Mur (Sind)
Mor-male, Landor-female (Maharashtra)
Manja-male, Mania-female, (Orissa)
mabja (Bhutia)
Dode (Garo)
Mayil (Malayalam, Tamil)
Monara (Sinhala)
Nemali (Telugu)
Navilu (Kannada)
Mor-male, Dhel-female (Gujarat)
It is the size of a vulture.The gorgeous ocellated tail of the adult cock , 1 to 1.5 m long , is in reality the abnormally lengthened upper tail coverts . Hen also crested like cock, but smaller , mottled brown with some metallic green on the lower neck and lacking the ornamental train.They can be seen in parties or droves in deciduous forests.Also locally semi-domesticated about villages and cultivation , where protected by religious sentiments.
Distribution
Throughout the Indian union , locally upto 1800m in the Himalayas , Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.Replaced in Myanmar by the species P.muticus with a pointed crest.
Habits
Inhabits dense scrubs and deciduous jungles - plain and foothill-preferably in the neighbourhood of rivers and streams.Polygamous; usually parties of one cock with 4 or 5 hens , but seasonally of the sexes seperately.Always excessively shy and alert.Slinks away through the undergrowth on its legs , and flies only when suddenly come upon, or to cross a ravine or open river bed.Roosts at night in large trees.
Food
Grain, vegetable shoots, insects, lizards, snakes etc.
Call
A loud harsh, screaming may-awe , and short grasping shrieks ka-ann repeatedly rapidly 6 to 8 times with a pumping action of head and neck.Cock displays before his bevy of hens erecting and fanning out his showy train , and struting and posturing to the accompaniment of paroxysms of quivering.
Nesting
Nesting season is from January to October.Nest is a shallow scrape in the ground in a dense thicket ,lined with sticks and leaves .Eggs are 3 to 5 , glossy pale cream or cafe-au-lait colour.
All photographs taken at Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve, Chandrapur,Maharashtra
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