blue peafowl

6.8

A large bird with bright blue feathers and a long fan tail from India and Sri Lanka

noun
/bluː ˈpiːfaʊl/

Indian

: pavo real azul

In the palace gardens, a splendid blue peafowl displayed its fanned tail to impress a mate.

Examples

Many zoos in Europe now keep blue peafowl due to their striking appearance and gentle behavior.
I saw a blue peafowl at the zoo yesterday.
The blue peafowl is the national bird of India and is admired for its vibrant plumage.
The blue peafowl is a stunning bird.
In the palace gardens, a splendid blue peafowl displayed its fanned tail to impress a mate.
Many zoos in Europe now keep blue peafowl due to their striking appearance and gentle behavior.
The blue peafowl is the national bird of India and is admired for its vibrant plumage.

Synonyms

peafowl

vsblue peafowl

2 8.0

A large colorful bird whose male has a long showy tail

is a specific species known for iridescent male plumage and ornate tail

Indian peacock

vsblue peafowl

1 3.7

A large bird from India with long bright blue and green tail feathers

is native to both India and Sri Lanka rather than only India

Pavo cristatus

vsblue peafowl

Specialized

1 9.9

A large colorful bird from India with a male that has long bright tail feathers

is the common everyday name used instead of the Latin term

Surface Forms

blue peafowl singular

blue peafowls plural

Morphology

blue + peafowl

The phrase is transparently compositional: 'blue' modifies 'peafowl' to denote a peafowl with blue coloration, exactly matching the literal meanings of the constituents. Color + noun is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and there is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner knowing both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name blue peafowl comes from the bird's look: male birds have bright, shining blue feathers and are part of the group called peafowl, the 'peacock' family. That's why the name refers to this large, colorful species.