Does anyone know what the “crown” on a peacock(s) head is actually called? and does it display its fan by “shuddering” its skin or is it actually muscular?
and yes, I barely passed grade school.
The fan on the head is called a crest.
The tail is moved by contracting skeletal muscles, not the skin.
I’ll just add that a peacock’s tail isn’t actually its tail, but an extension of the upper tail covert feathers.
It’s not easy to find a good picture online, but here and here are a couple of examples that show how the display feathers come from the back of the bird not the tail. If you get a chance to see one in the flesh take a look from the back or side and you’ll see the actual tail has normal-looking feathers that don’t stand up during display.
