Peafowl

Peafowl include two Asiatic species (the blue or Indian peafowl originally of India and Sri Lanka and the green peafowl of Burma, Indochina, and Java) and one African species (the Congo peafowl native only to the Congo Basin) of bird in the genera Pavo and Afropavo of the Phasianidae family, the pheasants and their allies, known for the male's piercing call and, among the Asiatic species, his extravagant eye-spotted tail covert feathers which he displays as part of a courtship ritual. The term peacock is properly reserved for the male; the female is known as a peahen, and the immature offspring are sometimes called peachicks.

Peafowl in Hellenic Traders
In 310 BC, a few days prior to their first solo trading mission, Menedemos and Sostratos learned that Himilkon, a Phoencian residing in Rhodes, had come into possession of some peafowl, specifically one peacock and five peahens.

Both cousins were intrigued by the birds, and realized that the peacock in particular, with its splendid tail feathers, might fetch a good price in Italy. After some haggling with Himilkon, they purchased the one peacock and all five peahens.

While the price was steep, the cousins did profit on the peafowl during the trip.

Sostratos, who knew his Herodotos, was astonished to learn from Himilkon that the peafowl were from India; Herodotos described a number of wonders from India, but didn't list peafowl among them. Himilkon had no idea who Herodotos was, but assured the cousins that the peafowl were indeed from India.