Spaldings combine the larger, more lithe and streamlined body structure of the green with the hardiness and somewhat calmer temperament of the blue. Spaldings tend to take after the green in voice and the blues in coloration. They still tend to be flightier and more susceptible to cold than the blue, but much less so than the green.
Type of mutation: Spaldings are a hybrid of the India Blue and Java Green peafowl.
Peacock Coloration: Males are thinner than typical blues, as well as larger. Coloration varies, but the crest is shorter and tighter than the green's. There is a patch of yellow in the facial skin.
Peahen Coloration: Coloration varies, but shows more characteristics of the green than the blue. The neck and chest show more solid bluish-green than the India Blue, and the bird exhibits a small orange facial patch.
Origin: The first spalding was the offspring of a green peacock and a blackshoulder hen. These birds were named after the late Mrs. Spalding of California, who helped develop the hybrid. Spalding can be found in many of the color and pattern variations of the India Blue, such as pied, purple, and cameo, however these birds are rarer and more expensive than their India Blue cousins.
Do they breed true?: No, Spaldings do not breed true. The offspring will have varying degrees of blue and green blood.
Mature Spalding male, photo courtesy of Josh Hoffman.
Mature Spalding female, photo courtesy of Josh Hoffman.