Pavo (bird)


Pavo is a genus of two Asiatic species in the tribe Pavonini. The two species, along with the Congo peafowl of Africa, are commonly referred to as "peafowl".

Taxonomy

The genus Pavo was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. The genus name is the Latin word for a peacock. The type species is the Indian peafowl.

Species

The genus Pavo contains two species, both native to Asia:

Fossil record

Pavo bravardiGallus moldovicus, sometimes misspelt moldavicus, may be a junior synonymGallus aesculapii, a Late MioceneEarly Pliocene "junglefowl" of Greece, may also have been a peafowl
In the Pliocene on the Balkan Peninsula, Bravard's peafowl coexisted with ptarmigans Peafowl were widespread on the Balkan Peninsula and in Southeastern Europe until the end of the Pliocene.