Can Peacocks Eat Bananas?

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Like all poultry birds, peacocks are omnivores, so it stands to reason that they would be able to eat plants. However, as seen with plants like avocadoes and potatoes, not all plants are safe for poultry. So, it is prudent to ask questions about what foods they can and can’t eat.

So, can peacocks eat bananas?

Peacocks can safely eat bananas.

The relatively soft texture of bananas makes them easy for peafowls to swallow. Besides that, bananas are chock-full of nutrients and they are safe within moderate limits. Therefore, they are a healthy fruit for peacocks to consume.

You may also have questions about how much banana is moderate and what nutrients it offers to peacocks. Well, we provide the answer to these questions and much more in the rest of this article.

Table of Contents

Peacocks Natural Feeding Habits

In the wild, peacocks are accustomed to feeding on fruits, grains, and small animals – they are omnivores, so this range of feeding is possible for them.

One of the many fruits peacocks consume in the wild is bananas, and it stands to reason that if they can consume bananas in the wild, they can feed on them when in captivity.

Bananas are highly nutritious, and they are also easy to consume. Their soft texture means that peacocks can readily peck on them, get a piece, and swallow. Besides ease of consumption, bananas are non-toxic to peacocks in moderate amounts.

As bananas get riper, their sugar content increases. Unfortunately, excess sugar is not okay for birds, including peacocks. So moderation is vital when offering ripe bananas to peafowls.

Like ducks and chickens, peacocks can eat unripe bananas. In fact, unripe bananas are sometimes touted to be better than riper bananas.

Unripe bananas are firmer, and they have less sugar. This is why they are sometimes preferred overripe bananas. But this does not mean ripe bananas are not okay; they are only best given in minimal to moderate amounts.

Whole and half green unripe bananas on wooden table

Can Peacocks Eat Banana Peels?

Like chickens and ducks, peacocks can eat banana peels.

Banana peels are an abundant source of potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins for peacocks. However, before you offer them to your peafowls, you must ensure they are free of harmful chemicals.

To ward off pests and weeds, farmers sometimes use chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. While spraying these chemicals on their crops, overspray can land on the bananas and remain there even after harvest.

If your peafowls consume banana peels tainted with chemicals, they may fall ill.

If you are not sure the banana peels are free of chemicals, you can wash them thoroughly with water. After washing them, you can also boil them.

By washing and boiling the banana peels, you should remove most if not all the leftover chemicals. But beyond that, boiling banana peels for at least 10 minutes makes them softer. Of course, if they are more tender, the peacocks can feed on them with more ease.

Generally, riper bananas have relatively more tender peels. So, prioritize getting peels from fresh, ripe bananas for your peafowls.

Besides boiling the peels, you can chop them into bite sizes to make the whole process even easier for your peafowls.

As with bananas, your peafowls should be okay with minimal to moderate amounts of banana peels.

A peeled banana and a bunch of bananas on a white background

Health Benefits of Bananas to Peacocks

Bananas contain fiber, protein, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B6. These nutrients offer different benefits, which can help improve the overall health of your peacocks.

Fiber

Bananas contain around 2.6 g of fiber per 100 g.

Fibers promote gut movement and gut filling in peafowls. By doing this, they promote the ability of the birds to digest other nutrients.

Protein

Peacocks need at least 20% protein in their diets, especially in the development phase. While bananas cannot provide the whole 20% protein peafowls need, they can contribute to it. For every 100 grams of banana, peacocks can get around 1.1 grams of protein.

Peacocks need a lot of protein to grow and maintain their feathers. So, they need all the protein they can get.

Besides promoting feather growth, protein contributes to healthy development in peacocks. In fact, protein is perhaps the nutrient experts emphasize the most in the diet of peacocks.

Magnesium

Bananas contain significant amounts of magnesium. Magnesium can promote metabolism in peafowls and increase energy levels. It can also help your birds sleep better while improving heart health.

Potassium

Potassium is one of the most abundant minerals in bananas. It promotes proper muscle function in peafowls and ensures electrolyte balance.

Potassium may also promote metabolism and help fight stress.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 (also known as Pyridoxine) promotes the functions of the nervous system in peafowls. It also helps with metabolism.

What Should You Not Feed Peacocks?

Generally, avoid giving peacocks processed foods. The sugar content, preservatives, seasoning, salt content, and other additives in such foods are potentially harmful to birds. Besides, processed foods offer little or no nutrients to peafowls.

That being said, you should not feed the following food items to peacocks:

Sweet cookies with colorful candies on wooden background

Bread
Processed meat
Chips
Chocolate
Cookies
Candy
Alcohol

Besides processed human foods, peacocks should not be given the following food items:

Avocado
Onions
Apple seeds
Fava beans
Tomato leaves
Mushrooms
Salt
Rhubarb leaves and stalk

Other Fruits Peacocks Can Eat

Besides bananas, peacocks can eat the following fruits:

Blueberry and blackberry berries in black bowl on blue stone background

Blackberries
Grapes
Blueberries
Muscadines
Huckleberries
Watermelons
Papayas

Peacocks typically prefer eating seeds over the flesh of some fruits. So, while it may seem like they are eating the fruit, they are searching for fruit seeds.

Final Thoughts

Peacocks can eat bananas in moderate amounts.

Some people prefer unripe bananas to ripe ones for their peacocks because the former has less sugar and is firmer. Nonetheless, both ripe and unripe bananas are safe for peafowls to eat in minimal to moderate amounts.

Besides banana flesh, peafowls can also eat banana peels, as long as it is free of any harmful chemicals.