Peacocks (the males) are well known for displaying their magnificent long tail feathers in a fan. The brown feathers have shimmering tips of blue and green and a pattern that resembles an eye. It is not difficult to see why a peahen would be impressed by that tail.
In evolutionary biology terms, the dimorphism of the peacock/peahen is because of a form of sexual selection. Sexual selection is when the female gets to select her mate and the father of her offspring. Obviously she will choose the one that is the most fit; big, strong, healthy, so that he can pass these genes on to her offspring and make them successful.
How does the elaborate peacock tail indicate his fitness as a father? The theory is rather bizarre. Peacocks are native to the rainforest, and to be honest a very long brightly coloured tail could be considered a hindrance; it makes you very conspicuous to predators, and it really hampers your movement through dense vegetation.
And that is just it! Any individual who survives in spite of this handicap must have good genes, and therefore will make a good father!
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