The peahen strutted to the edge of the pond, looked around, and bent her head to drink water.
"My gosh, so beautiful! Like a sprite!"
"Her neck is shining!"
"So ethereal..."
"Such a short tail, must be a peahen, right? Peahens are this pretty?"
"Really different from the blue peafowl! The males of the blue peafowl are quite beautiful, but the females are drab and dull, not noticeable at all."
"Exactly, both male and female green peafowl look good!"
"Peahen Princess!"
"The scales on her neck are even gleaming with gold. She is just too beautiful."
Netizens were deeply shocked by the green peafowl's gorgeous appearance and noble temperant as soon as they saw it for the first ti, sparing no lavish praise!
Fang Ye said, "You all saw the scales on the green peafowl's neck, a major difference with regards to the blue-green peafowl!
On the green peafowl's neck, the feathers look like dragon scales and are called 'dragon birds'!
Usually they appear green, but under the Sunshine, they reflect a golden, dazzling light, looking incredibly opulent, hence they are also known as golden peafowl.
The male and female green peafowl, aside from the length of their tails, look very similar. However, there is a big difference between male and female blue peafowl.
The feathers on the neck of the male blue peafowl are filant-like and blue in color. The female blue peafowl also has scale-like feathers on the neck with a touch of green glow, yet they are not as beautiful as the scales of the green peafowl; the overall appearance is dusty gray." Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire
"The crown feathers on their heads are also different: the blue peafowl's crown feathers are fan-shaped, while those of the green peafowl are clustered. Another difference is their cheeks; the green peafowl has a bright yellow patch on its cheeks, while the blue peafowl's cheeks are white."
Netizens noted down carefully, not wanting to mix up such rare birds as green peafowl with blue peafowl and embarrass themselves.
However, just by looking at the beautiful scales on their necks that resemble dragon scales, you'd hardly mistake them.
"Director, then what about the white peafowl?"
"The white peafowl is actually an albino version of peafowl! Green peafowl used to have a wide distribution, found throughout the areas south of the Yangtze River, and because there were many, there were also albinism cases that were recorded in paintings.
But now, the white peafowl that we see are albinism cases of blue peafowl."
Looking at the green peafowl, Fang Ye felt a surge of pride: "The green peafowl is a renowned cultural symbol of our country!
With their splendid feathers, they were adored by ancient scholars, officials, and nobility and are one of the prototypes of the phoenix.
Many poems and verses describe the green peafowl: 'With high, lone erald corners it stands, differing shine of golden pomp; 'No painting can capture its gilded erald body, as rarely it visits the vast expanse of mountains and rivers; 'The peafowl pities itself for its golden green tail, viewing the waters, recognizing passersby, too startled to rise'.
The murals in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, the peafowl patterns on the official robes of the Qing dynasty, and the sculptures of peafowl on ancient temples all depict the green peafowl."
He then sighed softly, feeling a touch of sadness: "However, in the cultural realm, the green peafowl has been silently replaced by the blue peafowl.
Now in Yunnan, you see blue peafowl everywhere in the streets, and even the peafowl sculptures on portal websites and squares use the blue peafowl as their representative image.
Even amongst the Dai people, who use the peafowl as their totem, except for so of the older generation, most only recognize the foreign blue peafowl and not the native green peafowl.
Back then, in our Chinese textbooks, the illustrations for 'Peafowl Flying Southeast' all depicted the blue peafowl.
In the famous peacock dance, there is a movent where you pinch the thumb and index finger together, spread the other fingers apart, imitating the peafowl's head; that fan-shaped crown feather is also the most noticeable feature of the blue peafowl."
Listening to this, the netizens also felt a pang of sorrow and fell silent.
The native green peafowl, unknown to many, nearly went extinct in silence, while the foreign blue peafowl is proudly celebrated by everyone.
All they could do was sigh wistfully: "Eh~"
As they were speaking.
"Ah~oh——ah~oh——"
A peculiar, high-pitched sound arose, lodious and resonant, as if it could directly reach the depths of one's heart!
Although it was the first ti the netizens had heard it, they imdiately speculated in their minds, "Could it be the call of the green peafowl?"
Fang Ye said, "Exactly!"
It sounded different from that of the blue peafowl!
The blue peafowl's call sounded a bit like a goose's honk, hoarse in tone, while the green peafowl's call was more lodious, with notes that lingers on.
A male green peafowl with a long tail was calling out loudly while walking towards a female peafowl by a pond.
As it walked, it slightly adjusted its posture.
Fang Ye perked up, "It looks like this male peafowl can't stand being alone; it's getting ready to court! Maybe we'll get to see it fan its tail."
After a mont's thought, he casually took out his phone and played a song.
The deep, continuous sound of a flute, reminiscent of the green peafowl's lodious call, pulled people back to a long-gone era.
The refined guzheng prelude was deeply moving and carried a hint of subtle sorrow.
Fang Ye's voice also softened a great deal, "This song is called 'Peafowl Ballad,' composed specifically for the green peafowl!"
During the green peafowl public interest lawsuit, besides investigating and gathering evidence, several charitable organizations also collaborated with so musicians to create a song, calling for attention to the endangered green peafowl.
"I yearn to stroll the sparse forest's edge, where flowers and leaves are scant and spare.
I yearn to lightly wash my springti robe, though in March the river's chill and bare..."
A moving female voice began, calm and gentle, yet the lyrics were filled with a poignant and sorrowful mood.
The male green peafowl, slowly walked towards the female.
"I long to joyously gaze upon rivers and mountains, yet to find my footing there has grown hard.
I long to know you for a lifeti, yet 'Shang Ye' turns to a final, fatal word..."
Listening to the haunting song and watching the beautiful green peafowl, a scene ford in the netizens' minds.
A male peafowl drinking by the riverbank, pacing, and every so often, lifting its head to sing, expressing its loneliness!
When the mating season arrived, the female peafowl and the younger birds ford family groups and started wandering about, visiting different male peafowl territories.
Every morning and evening, one could hear the booming calls of male peafowl echoing in the valleys near the rivers.
When a male peafowl discovered a female in his territory, he would approach and display his plumage in courtship, showing off his long tail screen.
The green peafowl would drink, feed, or rest near mountain streams and riverbanks.
Sotis a flock of peafowl would et by a riverbank, take a dust bath together, and after feeding, they would part ways amicably.
But for so reason, the riverbanks they depended on for their existence were gradually flooded and beca harder to find. Companions beca rarer, to the point where even the calls of one another were no longer heard.
Only their own lonely, resounding calls echoed in the woods, year after year, with no response.
I long to joyously gaze upon rivers and mountains, yet to find my footing there has grown hard.
The lyrics of this song tell of a woman deeply in love with a man, yet trapped in a difficult situation, forced to bid a helpless farewell—her final confession before leaving.
Having just heard Fang Ye ntion the endangered status of the green peafowl, the netizens, upon these sorrowful lyrics, couldn't help but think that this was also the green peafowl's last farewell to humanity. Their chests felt tight, as if they were struggling to breathe.
Their vision began to blur, and for so reason, they felt an urge to cry!
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