
- Fruits –such as berries, are peafowl’s favorite. They will also eat any other fruit placed before them.
- Grains –Corn and wheat are recommended peafowl food as they provide sufficient energy for these birds to carry out their daily activities.
- Insects –is by far the most essential prey item. You should provide peafowls with insects such as crickets, millipedes, and mealworms, as they are rich in protein.
- Pet food –cat and dog food is highly nutritious and serves as good supplementary food. You should not feed them pet food regularly as they are very salty and fatty.
- Legumes –such as peanuts, beans, and peas also serve as a good source of protein and fats.
- Kitchen scraps –such as cheese rind, carrot pulp, and even chicken bits should not go to waste if you own peafowls.
- Commercial bird feed –act as good supplementary feeds, and they provide these birds with other essential minerals and vitamins that contribute to their overall growth.
- Vegetables –such as cabbage and kales are healthy choices to serve peafowls.
- Small animals –such as mice, are a healthy addition to their diets.
Full Answer
What do peacock butterflies eat in the garden?
Adults: feed on nectar from flowers including thistle, betony, bluebell, cuckooflower, dandelion and teasel. Buddleia is a particular favourite for peacock butterflies. Caterpillars: eat the leaves of stinging nettles and hop.
What do Baby peacocks eat?
This means that if you want your baby peacocks to grow more naturally, you should give them (or allow them to search for) more insects and other little invertebrates. Examples of invertebrates that peacocks can eat in the free-range are:
What kind of nectar do butterflies eat?
The best kind of food you can give them is this nectar. Milkweed, zinnias, and marigolds are popular with butterflies -- try planting these in your yard to attract and feed butterflies. Use canned fruit nectar as an alternative to flower nectar. If you don't want to grow and take care of flowers, purchase some canned fruit nectar instead.
What can I Feed my Butterfly?
I'm not sure what you currently feed your butterfly, but you could try offering it different foods. Butterflies usually like oranges, grapefruit, bananas, apples and cantaloupe!

What can I feed a butterfly with?
Provide sliced overripe fruit like oranges, bananas, berries, pineapple, melon, pears and plums. Katy adds, 'Mashed banana works really well. You can also try mixing banana with a little bit of water to make a paste - it allows them to feed a little easier using their tongue-like mouthpart, called a proboscis.
What to feed a butterfly that can't fly?
Fruit juice, 15% honey water, 15% sugar water, or Gatorade are the easiest for us. If we use Gatorade, we often simply fill the Gatorade bottle lid with Gatorade. A small cup or votive candle holder can be filled with marbles and juice. A paper towel that is soaked in the liquid and placed on a saucer works great.
What can I feed my butterfly at home?
They especially like to eat rotting grapefruits, oranges, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, apples, and bananas. Add a little bit of water or fruit juice to your sliced fruit to keep it desirably moist. Make a butterfly feeder.
What do white peacock butterflies eat?
The white peacock is a herbivorous species that feeds on the leaves and nectar of plants (it is a folivore and a nectarivore).
Can you give a butterfly sugar water?
The simple syrup used in these feeders is made like that for hummingbird nectar which is typically a 4-to-1 ratio of water to sugar, however butterfly nectar needs to be a somewhat weaker solution, a 10% sugar-water solution (1 part sugar to 10 parts water) is preferred.
Do butterflies eat apples?
Butterflies will eat a variety of fruit. We like to feed them bananas, apples, and pears. We poke each piece of fruit many times to make it nice and juicy and give space for butterflies to stick their proboscises.
Do butterflies drink water?
Monarchs and other butterflies need moisture but cannot land on water to drink, so a typical garden pond, fountain or birdbath won't help them. Instead, butterflies sip liquid from muddy soil.
How long can butterflies go without food?
Monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico in November and stay until March. Scientists say they can survive all winter with little or no food at all.
How do I make sugar water for butterflies?
Make some butterfly food with nine parts water and one part sugar (use tablespoons or teaspoons depending on the size of your jar). Add the sugar to the water and boil in a pan until it is dissolved. Let it cool while you prepare the butterfly feeder.
Is a peacock butterfly rare?
It is one of the commonest garden butterflies, found throughout lowland England and Wales. It is rarer in Scotland. In May, after mating, females lay their eggs in batches of up to 500.
How long does a white peacock butterfly live?
about four monthsWhite peacocks are a common sight in Florida and, with multiple generations, they can be seen all year long. Their life span is about four months.
How can you tell if a peacock butterfly is male or female?
The underside of the wing is a dark brown-black color similar to dead leaves. Male peacock butterflies only have one elongated segment. Females have five segments with the head and body covered in hair.
What do butterflies eat and drink?
Adult butterflies mainly eat flower nectar. They can also find sources of nectar from vegetables, herbs, and fruit blossoms. Butterflies may also get energy from eating fruit juice, sugar water, tree sap, fungi, and organic matter from animals.
How do you get a butterfly to eat?
0:332:41How to Feed a Butterfly - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIn a cup of not quite boiling water. And then add just a couple drops of soy sauce which honestly IMoreIn a cup of not quite boiling water. And then add just a couple drops of soy sauce which honestly I have no idea what that's for but it's supposed to help think of it like Gatorade right nature's.
How do you keep a butterfly alive in a jar?
Wet a paper towel with warm water and set it on the bottom of a glass jar with a lid. Pour in 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of antiseptic like Lysol into the bottom to prevent mold from forming. Set the butterfly in the jar and seal it for 2-7 days.
What do butterflies need to survive?
Butterflies are cold-blooded and need the light from the sun to warm the muscles they use to fly. Not only do butterflies like the sun, the plants the they thrive on need full direct sun. Most plants need at least 8 hours of sunlight to bloom properly and provide enough nectar.
What is the lifespan of a Peacock butterfly?
The last part of this insect’s life cycle is the adult stage. The lifespan of an adult Peacock butterfly is about one year.
Where are Peacock butterflies found?
These insects are found in Asia and Europe. They live in woodlands, meadows, and gardens. They are most likely to be found in a location with lots...
Is a Peacock butterfly a moth?
No. Peacock butterflies and moths are different insects. One basic difference is moths are active at night whereas Peacock butterflies search for f...
Why is it called Peacock butterfly?
Its identification as a Peacock butterfly comes from the pattern of eyespots on its fore and hindwings. These eyespots look a lot like the eyespots...
Are Peacock butterflies rare?
In one location they may be considered rare while in another location they are a common sight. In England and Wales, they are a familiar sight in g...
What does a Peacock butterfly symbolize?
Along with the solid facts about this butterfly, there are a few symbolic meanings attached to it. It can symbolize a happy marriage, good health,...
What was the conclusion of the 2005 Peacock butterfly experiment?
In the conclusion of the experiment, it was determined that the eyespots on the wings of a Peacock butterfly don’t always deter a predator from att...
How does the Peacock butterfly protect itself?
When it sees a predator in the area, this butterfly sits still on a branch or leaf with its wings folded up. The brown undersides of its wings help...
What do White Peacock butterflies eat?
The White Peacock butterfly is different from the Peacock butterfly. The white variety of Peacock butterflies is found in the southeastern portion...
What is the Peacock butterfly related to?
Of course, Peacock butterflies are related to White Peacock butterflies though their colors are very different. Peacock butterflies are also relate...
What color are peacock butterflies?
Adults: large and unmistakable, the peacock butterfly is orange-red in colour with mesmerising azure ‘eyes’ on its wings, which help to ward off predators. The undersides of its wings are dull and almost black, resembling dead leaves. Females are larger than males. Wingspan: 6-7cm.
When do peacock butterflies wake up?
Peacock butterflies then wake from hibernation during the spring, sometimes as early as March.
When is the best time to see peacock butterflies?
The best time to see caterpillars is from May to July - keep an eye out for them on stinging nettles.
When do nettle caterpillars mate?
They usually mate in early spring, laying up to 500 eggs in May , typically on nettle leaves – the preferred food of this species’ larvae. After a couple of weeks the caterpillars hatch and spin a communal silk web, feasting on the nettles together before gradually venturing out into the open.
What is the habitat of peacock butterflies?
Habitat: Temperate regions, including woods, fields, meadows, and gardens. Conservation Status: Least Concern. Fun Fact: Peacock butterflies have a pattern of eyespots on their wings that confuse potential predators.
How many segments does a peacock butterfly have?
Male peacock butterflies only have one elongated segment. Females have five segments with the head and body covered in hair. The front legs of these butterflies are shortened and used for cleaning instead of walking. The head has two large eyes, two antenna for detecting air currents, a proboscis for feeding, and two forward-facing protrusions ...
What do caterpillars eat?
Caterpillars eat the leaves of the plant they were laid on, which could be common nettle, small nettle, or hop. Peacock butterflies emerge in late summer from their cocoons and hibernate in winter. They hide in hollow trees, dead wood, sheds, and attics for seven to eight months until the next spring.
What do squid eat?
Diet and Behavior. From mid-July until winter, adults feed on the nectar from summer-flowering plants such as thistles and ragwort, as well as sap and honeydew. Into early autumn, they may also feed on rotten fruit to build up body fat in preparation for hibernation.
Do peacock butterflies have eyespots?
They also have eyespots on the backs of their wings similar to eyespots on peacocks. The underside of the wing is a dark brown-black color similar to dead leaves. Peacock butterfly on blossom of an aster. Westend61 / Getty Images. Male peacock butterflies only have one elongated segment.
Peacock Butterfly Facts
The eyespots on this butterfly’s wings deter predators from attacking.
Peacock Butterfly Physical Characteristics
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4 Incredible Peacock Butterfly Facts!
One of the strangest facts about this butterfly is it can make a hissing noise by rubbing its wings together.
Peacock Butterfly Species, Types and Scientific Name
This insect’s common name is the Peacock butterfly. It’s sometimes called the European Peacock. Aglais io is its scientific name. This butterfly is a member of the Nymphalidae family and is categorized in the order of Lepidoptera. There are 6,125 butterflies in this family.
Appearance: How to Identify a Peacock Butterfly
The bright colors of a Peacock butterfly make identification fairly easy. Its wings are a rusty red color with a black or gray border. This butterfly has an eyespot on each of its wings. Its eyespots are a mixture of the colors blue, white, black, and yellow. Its body is covered with brown bristly hairs and it has two thin antennae.
Habitat: Where to Find Peacock Butterflies
Peacock butterflies live in Europe and Asia. Woodlands, pastures, and meadows are all habitats of this butterfly. It’s common to see them moving from flower to flower in backyard gardens as well.
Diet: What Do Peacock Butterflies Eat?
These flying insects are constantly looking or foraging for food. They land on dozens of flowers and shrubs each day. Peacock butterflies use the sensors in their feet to check a flower for appetizing nectar. Once it finds a supply of nectar, the butterfly uses its proboscis as a straw to draw the liquid up into its body.
What Do Peacocks Eat?
To know what to feed a wild Peacock in your backyard, it’s helpful to know what these birds eat in the wild.
What to Feed a Wild Peacock
When feeding a wild Peacock, try to replicate its diet, as described above.
What Foods to Avoid Feeding Wild Peacocks
Although it’s okay to feed a wild Peacock food on occasion, it’s important that you do not provide all of its food, unless you have every intention of taking care of the Peacock in the future too.
Final Thoughts
If you see a wild Peacock in your yard, feel free to feed it fresh fruits and vegetables.
What to feed a butterfly?
4. Feed butterflies rotting fruit as an alternative. Slice up some fruit that's going bad to give to your butterflies. They especially like to eat rotting grapefruits, oranges, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, apples, and bananas. Add a little bit of water or fruit juice to your sliced fruit to keep it desirably moist.
What kind of nectar do butterflies eat?
Provide flower nectar for butterflies in nature. Naturally, butterflies survive by consuming the nectar provided by different types of flowers. The best kind of food you can give them is this nectar. Milkweed, zinnias, and marigolds are popular with butterflies -- try planting these in your yard to attract and feed butterflies.
How to feed butterflies in a habitat?
1. Use Gatorade or fruit juice as an easy solution. The easiest way to feed butterflies in a habitat is with Gatorade or another already-prepared juice drink. As is, Gatorade and fruit juice have the sugar and water needed in order to provide nutrients to your butterflies.
How to feed a butterfly in captivity?
To feed butterflies in captivity, you can use fruit juice, 15% sugar or honey water, or even Gatorade. Fill a bottle cap with the mixture, then gently lower the butterfly’s feet into it so it starts drinking. If the butterfly doesn’t drink the mixture, use a toothpick to carefully lower its proboscis into it.
How to get butterflies to eat food?
2. Soak a paper towel with the liquid food and place it in a dish. Decide which kind of food that you'd like to go with and then soak up the liquid with a paper towel. This will allow the butterflies to eat the food without getting their feet extremely wet.
How to clean a butterfly?
Pick up each butterfly and set it onto the soaked paper towel. 1 If you aren't gentle, you can very easily seriously injure the butterflies by picking them up. It's very important to be careful when handling them. 2 It's necessary to do it this way because butterflies taste with their feet.
How to make butterfly food?
If you're willing to put a little more time and effort into your butterfly food to ensure maximum nutrition, make your own food solution. Mix 3 ounces (88.7 ml) of water or Gatorade with 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of simple syrup. Then, add in 6 drops of soy sauce.
What should I feed my baby peacock?
If you are brooding your baby peacocks in a brooder box (i.e. they are not with their mother), you should feed them with processed feed and very few insects and other little critters because of the possibility of harmful microbes. 5. Fruits and Vegetables.
What do peacocks eat?
Fruits and Vegetables. Most of the feed options listed above enrich your peacocks with a whole lot of proteins. Fruits and vegetables, however, can give your baby peacocks the vitamins, minerals, and a few other nutrients that they need. You should give your peacocks a lot of vegetables.
What do peachicks like?
Peachicks love dried grapes or raisins. Raisins are rich in sugars, fiber, vitamins, etc. You should give raisins to your peachicks but don’t give too many because raisins are high in sugars and fibers.
What is the best food for a peacock?
Typical chicken feeds contain 16-25% crude protein according to the age of the chicken. 2. Mealworms. Mealworms are the larvae of the mealworm beetle. Mealworms are a special source of food for your peacocks because they can also be used as treats to reward your peachicks during training.
Why do peachicks grow so fast?
While insects, insect larvae, etc. can have proteins, they may be digested slower because they are still in their raw form. Processed feeds , however, have readily available proteins with a high rate of digestibility. This means that your peachicks will grow faster with the right processed feed.
Why are peacocks fed processed food?
Processed feeds are number one because they contain all the nutrients that peacocks need to grow. Processed feeds are not just rich in proteins, they also contain fibers, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. in recommended quantities (according to the age of the bird).
What are some good treats for peachicks?
Here are some good choices of treats for peachicks: 1. Grains, Seeds, and Peas. Grains, seeds, and peas are excellent treats for peachicks. They also make great food ideas for peachicks, but you should give them as treats (occasionally) to increase the value that your peachicks have for them.

Description
Habitat and Distribution
- Their habitat consists of temperate regions across Europe and Asia. They primarily live in woods, fields, pastures, meadows, and gardens, but they can be found in lowlands and mountainsreaching heights of approximately 8,200 feet. Their range includes Britain and Ireland, Russia and eastern Siberia, as well as Korea and Japan. They can also be found in Turkey and n…
Diet and Behavior
- From mid-July until winter, adults feed on the nectar from summer-flowering plantssuch as thistles and ragwort, as well as sap and honeydew. Into early autumn, they may also feed on rotten fruit to build up body fat in preparation for hibernation. Caterpillars eat the leaves of the plant they were laid on, which could be common nettle, small nettle...
Reproduction and Offspring
- Mating season begins in May, right after hibernation and just before their death at some point later in the same month. After mating, females lay olive green eggs in large batches of up to 500 on the underside of leaves on host plants. These include stinging and common nettles and hops. The larvae hatch 1 to 2 weeks later. They are shiny and jet black in color with white spots and bl…
Conservation Status
- Peacock butterflies are designated as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their population was determined to be stable.
Sources
- Doremi, Gianluca. "Inachis Io". Altervista, https://gdoremi.altervista.org/nymphalidae/Inachis_io_en.html.
- "Peacock". Butterfly Conservation, https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/peacock.
- "Peacock Butterfly". IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species, 2009, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/174218/7030659.
- Doremi, Gianluca. "Inachis Io". Altervista, https://gdoremi.altervista.org/nymphalidae/Inachis_io_en.html.
- "Peacock". Butterfly Conservation, https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/peacock.
- "Peacock Butterfly". IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species, 2009, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/174218/7030659.
- "Peacock Butterfly". The Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds, https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/other-garden-wildlife/insects-and-other-invertebrates/butterflies/peac...