Everglades Wonder Gardens needs help naming Picasso the peacock's new mate
Picasso the peacock fluffed his long train of emerald and cobalt quill feathers as Priscilla the peahen walked by.
She signaled no interest.
Spurned, Picasso preened and strutted for every ibis that flitted in his direction.
The peafowls, residents of the Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs, have failed to make a love match all mating season.
She's just not that into him.
So Wonder Gardens staff played cupid for the rejected peacock. They brought in a new peahen for Picasso to court.
Thomas Hecker, executive director of the Wonder Gardens, said Picasso should have a true female mate.
“The goal is not to make more peacocks, but for people to observe animals naturally,” Hecker said. “Whether it is (through) courting or having offspring — that makes the birds more interesting.”
And it worked.
The new peahen bonded with Picasso in a few days — sooner than anyone at the Wonder Gardens ever expected. She is sitting on a trio of eggs.
“One day, I was walking around after everybody left, and I saw Priscilla standing by the cage, and I let her in. As soon as I did, the new peahen’s behavior changed, and she relaxed,” Hecker said. “So a couple of days later I herded in Picasso, and he put on a big show. He was so glad to be in there with a couple of females — and a couple of days later, there were three eggs, and she made a nest.”
It will take about 28 days to know if the eggs are fertile, Hecker said.
“It’s good, even if the eggs don’t hatch. It means she is acclimated,” he said. “I was surprised. It was quick.”
The Wonder Gardens is hosting a naming contest for its new peahen. Participants can leave suggestions on the Wonder Gardens Facebook page.
There's one requirement.
“The winner is going to start with a ‘P,’” said Hecker.
Why Picasso and Priscilla failed to click is anyone’s guess. Wonder Gardens staff has a theory: the age gap.
Picasso is six years old. Priscilla is about 30 years old.
“That is why we think she is not interested in him,” Hecker said.
The new peahen is a year old.
Will Priscilla be jealous of the younger peahen?
No, Hecker said.
“Peacocks are polygamous,” he said. “They have a harem, so they will establish a pecking order. There is so much room (at the Wonder Gardens) they will have their own territory. We hope (the new peahen) bonds with Priscilla.”
Picasso and Priscilla wander the Wonder Gardens as they please. They fly into the flamingo enclosure to eat, sit in the sunshine on the lawn and strut around the gardens showing off for guests.
The unnamed peahen will remain in a large enclosure until she feels comfortable enough in her new home that she loses the desire to leave, Hecker said.
She comes to the Wonder Gardens from the Bird Gardens of Naples, which rescues birds and finds them homes.
“She was born wild on my property from a flock of peacocks that came in,” said Keriellen Lohrman, the bird garden’s owner. “I knew the Everglades Wonder Gardens needed one because Priscilla is so old, so I caught (the new peahen), so she would go over there and be happy with the male.”
The new peahen is on display for the public.
Hecker said it is the right time to visit the Wonder Gardens and see Picasso in his full mating plumage.
Peafowl mating season runs from February through June.
When it ends, Picasso will lose his train feathers. The Wonder Gardens sells them in the gift shop.
“Once his tail is gone, he won’t do any courting,” Hecker said. “He is kind of embarrassed for a while.”
NAME THAT PEAHEN
Post suggestions on the Everglades Wonder Gardens Facebook page:
facebook.com/TheEvergladesWonderGardens/
The winner will be selected on June 5.