7 - riikinkukko

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 You will know the riikinkukko better as the peacock. Or, strictly speaking, the blue or Indian peacock. I didn't know until just now that there are three species of peacock. The green peacock is found in South East Asia, and a third, the Congo peacock in Africa. Quite mysterious how that one ended up where it is. They all have striking trains for display. Of course the extraordinary multi-eyed feather display of the male peacock isn't evident in this picture, not least because that isn't a male peacock.

Peacocks have been introduced all around the world, especially for decoration in ornamental gardens. My local tip (ie. local council refuse disposal site) is not an ornamental garden. Nevertheless, from somewhere nearby which I haven't figured out yet, they come and hang out at the tip. At first it's a pleasant surprise to see them, but soon they're more of a nuisance, getting in the way as you park and unload your stuff (today, hedge clippings, cardboard, and other sundry rubbish). Worse, they're quite snooty as birds go, and sometimes show active resentment to the humans around them. And then there's their vocalisation, which isn't the most attractive, like a crow on steroids.

So, I took this snap today. I only take my phone with me when I go out in case of car breakdown, but I had to take a snap of this young lady peacock (er, 'peahen') on seeing this amusing behaviour. I spotted her entranced by the new friend she thought she was making, admiring her in these mirrors. Someone had dumped several of them here, and she was moving along the row of them, engaging with her reflection in each one.

The peacock or riikinkukko doesn't feature at all in my lintuopas (= bird guide). The Finns clearly do have them however, in the same way we do; I looked them up to see if I could justify including them in this series, and ticked that box when I discovered Finnish does have a word for the peacock, ie. riikinkukko. It dates back to the 17th Century. I was intrigued by the word, because although kukko unsurprisingly means cock, I couldn't figure out the first bit. It turns out that riiki is an old term for the Kingdom of Sweden. It makes sense, that Sweden their imperial rulers at the time, would have brought some to Finland. I guess.

So today, they can be seen at Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki amongst other locations. Or if that's too far to travel, you can come and see them at my local tip.

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