Pied Peacocks, Castelo Sao Jorge, Lisbon

I've seen hundreds of peacocks in my life—always a treat when you see the males put on those magnificent displays of their blue and green feathers—but it was my first experience with pied, or piebald peacocks.

These birds are typical Indian peacocks, except for the unique patches of white on their bodies.  Each pied bird has a distinctive white pattern admixed with their more typical feathers.  Sometimes these patches are quite large, so that the bird is almost completely white.  Sometimes it's just a minimal white coloration.  Most birds are somewhere in between these extremes.

The coloration is due to a genetic mutation.  It can occur in the wild, but breeders are working hard to produce piebald peacocks for sale as there is a high demand for them.

These birds were spotted at St. George's Castle, high on one of Lisbon's hills.  My wife and I enjoyed the sighting!—