Fact Check: Is the baby peacock picture real? Viral claim debunked

An image of a blue baby peacock has been making the rounds on the internet. Ever since the massive rise in popularity of AI-generated images this year, social media is filled with unique-looking images that may or may not be real. Recently, a picture of a blue baby peacock circulated around various social media platforms, captivating user attention with how cute the animal looked.

However, the picture of the baby peacock is fake. The image was AI generated and is available in Adobe's stock image library. It is also a known fact that peachicks are not blue in color. They are, in fact, a shade of brown, as proven by a simple Google search of real baby peachick images from trusted sources.

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Baby peacocks are not blue in color, viral image proven fake

The image of the baby bird took the internet by storm as users re-posted the adorable photograph on multiple social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and even Youtube. The viral photo of the baby bird had large bright blue eyes, small blue feathers, a blue head and neck, and a brown chest.

Although the image has been in circulation for quite a while now, it still continues to be passed on as the image of a real peacock. In fact, a tweet by @AnikaFreeindeed on August 14, where she referred to the image as that of a real peacock, amassed over 19,500 views.

Another post of the photo by @TerryAnn1219, made way back on April 23, has amassed over two million views. However, underneath their tweet, a context note was added that said:

"Image is digitally produced. Pea chicks are indistinct and certainly do not have the large eyes or coloured feathers depicted here. They resemble small game birds."

The context note also linked a Bird Fact article on "Baby Peacocks," according to which, the birds, that are actually called male peachicks, most definitely do not look like what is depicted in the viral picture. The article pointed out that peacocks and peahens are not easily distinguishable from chicks.

Regarding the actual features of a peachick, the article revealed:

"They’re covered in light brown fluffy down and striped wing feathers that resemble that of a baby pheasant to which peafowl are very closely related."

It further stated:

"Peachicks look like gamebirds, very similar to baby pheasants. They have pretty long legs also, and males tend to have slightly longer legs than females, which aid in identification."

The article also said that some chicks were born completely white. The rare white peafowl is the result of a genetic mutation called leucism, which can also be bred.

Apart from the obvious lack of similarity to an actual peachick, the image itself contains many signs that give away the fact that it's AI-generated art. A close inspection of some of the posted images reveals Adobe Stock watermarks all over the image. The image is, in fact, listed in the Adobe Stock media library as an AI-generated image.

The Hive Moderation results on @TerryAnn1219's tweet of the image

AI-generated images are known to experience trouble when rendering limbs, which is also true in this case. The viral blue baby bird's feet look uncanny and unnatural. When multiple renditions of the image were uploaded to Hive Moderation, the result always came out with an over 99% chance that the image is likely to be AI Generated.