48 palettes

Animal Color Palette

One animal palette a press: five or six colors, each named for the fur, feather or scale it comes from.

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Peacock: cobalt blue and emerald greenCobalt blue neck, emerald green train, teal crest, bronze back, copper eyespot rims.#153EAC · #148F5C · #158084 · #80702D · #C6662F

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All 48 palettes

Birds 10

American flamingo: pink and red Pink plumage, red wing coverts, black flight feathers, and a bill of pale pink and white.
Atlantic puffin: black and orange Black crown and back, orange legs, white underparts, pale gray cheeks, scarlet beak tip.
Blue jay: blue and white Blue crest and back, white face and chest, black collar, sky blue wing bars, ivory underside.
Emperor penguin: black and yellow Black head and back, yellow ear patches, white underparts, butter yellow breast, orange lower bill, silver chick down.
Kingfisher: turquoise and orange Turquoise upperparts, orange underparts, sky blue back and rump, white throat, black bill.
Mallard drake: green and white Green head, white collar, brown breast, pale gray belly, amber bill, blue wing patch.
Mandarin duck: orange and purple Orange sails, purple breast, red bill, white breast bars, rust flanks.
Northern cardinal: red and black Red male, his black mask, orange beak, tan female, her gray mask.
Scarlet macaw: scarlet and yellow Scarlet body, yellow wing coverts, sky blue rump, cobalt blue flight feathers, maroon underwing.
Toco toucan: black and amber Black body, amber beak, white throat, red under the tail, blue eye ring.

Show all 48 palettes (38 more)

Peacock 8

Congo peacock: navy and red Navy body, red neck skin, green sheen, violet tinge, white crown, black tail.
Green peafowl: green and cobalt blue Green neck scales, cobalt blue wing coverts, black secondaries, pale blue face, amber ear crescent, buff primaries.
Peacock eyespot: cobalt blue and copper Deep purple center, cobalt blue ring, copper rim, green outer band, bronze outer band.
Peacock neck: cobalt blue and teal Cobalt blue neck, teal crest tips, white eye patches, black crest shafts, bronze back scales.
Peacock train: bronze and emerald green Bronze train, emerald green sheen, cobalt blue eyespots, black back markings, dark brown tail.
Peacock wing: chestnut and black Chestnut primaries, black secondaries, buff thighs, dark brown tail, emerald green chest.
Peacock: cobalt blue and emerald green Cobalt blue neck, emerald green train, teal crest, bronze back, copper eyespot rims.
Peahen: brown and green Brown upper body, green lower neck, chestnut crest tips, dark brown tail, white underparts.

Big cats and safari 10

Caracal: tan and black Tan coat, black ear tufts, sand belly, white eye and mouth patches, rust belly marks.
Cheetah: tawny and black Tawny coat, black spots and tear streaks, cream and buff for paler coats, khaki dry grass.
Giraffe: orange and cream Orange patches, cream lines between, chestnut darker patches, brown darkest patches, tan skin.
Jaguar: tan and black Tan fur, black rosettes, butter yellow paler fur, white underside, dark green forest shade.
Leopard: gold and black Gold fur, black rosettes, butter yellow paler fur, white tail tip, brown branch.
Lion: buff and tawny Buff coat, tawny for redder lions, silver for grayer ones, dark brown tail tuft, gold dry grass.
Plains zebra: black and white Black stripes, white stripes, brown shadow stripes, khaki dry grass, sky blue sky.
Serval: gold and black Gold coat, black spots and stripes, buff paler coat, white chin and ear band, khaki grass.
Snow leopard: pale gray and black Pale gray fur, black spots and rosettes, white paler fur, gray darker fur, pale blue snow shade.
Tiger: orange and black Orange fur, black stripes, white underside, pink nose, khaki dry grass.

Sea creatures 10

Blue tang: cobalt blue and yellow Cobalt blue body, yellow tail, black palette mark, sky blue water, navy deep water.
Blue-ringed octopus: blue and mustard Blue rings, mustard skin, black ring borders, tan lighter skin, cream palest skin.
Clownfish: orange and white Orange body, white stripes, black stripe outlines, rust for darker fish, teal water.
Emperor angelfish: blue and yellow Blue stripes, yellow stripes and tail, pale blue face, navy mask, white juvenile rings.
Green sea turtle: olive and yellow Olive shell, yellow limb edges, dark brown limb spots, black for the darkest shells, turquoise water.
Mandarinfish: blue and orange Blue body, orange stripes, teal face, red eyes, black pupils.
Moorish idol: white and black White body, black bands, yellow saddle and patch, turquoise water, teal deep water.
Orca: black and white Black back, white belly and eye patch, gray saddle patch, navy sea, sky blue sky.
Red lionfish: red and white Red stripes, white stripes, maroon stripes, brown stripes, aqua water.
Royal gramma: violet and gold Violet head, gold tail, lilac paler head, black eye line, navy reef shadow.

Insects and reptiles 10

Blue morpho: blue and black Blue upper wings, black wing edges, brown underside, dark green leaves, lime light.
Corn snake: orange and red Orange body, red blotches, black blotch outlines, white belly checks, brown for browner snakes.
Emerald tree boa: emerald green and white Emerald green body, white zigzag, yellow belly, orange or rust for the young.
Emperor dragonfly: sky blue and green Sky blue abdomen, green thorax, black back stripe, blue eyes, brown legs, yellow wing edge.
Luna moth: lime and white Lime wings, white body, yellow eyespot arc, blue eyespot arc, black eyespot arc.
Monarch butterfly: orange and black Orange wings, black veins and margins, white spots, green leaf, lime leaf edge.
Painted turtle: olive and red Olive shell, red stripes, black skin, yellow lower shell, orange stripes.
Panther chameleon: red and green Red, green, cobalt blue or orange males, by where they live, and tan females.
Rosy maple moth: pink and yellow Pink forewings, yellow body, butter yellow wing band, pale pink antennae, cream for the palest moths.
Seven-spot ladybug: scarlet and black Scarlet wing cases, black spots, white patches, emerald green leaf, lime leaf edge.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-08: palettes of five or six colors taken from the coat, feathers, scales or skin of a named animal, sorted by kind of animal (birds, the peacock, big cats and safari, sea creatures, insects and reptiles). How a strip is ordered: each color is named for the part of the animal it comes from, and the name carries the two colors that matter most. Which color a part has was checked on 2026-10-08 against the description of the animal in its English Wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the title: American flamingo, Atlantic puffin, Blue jay, Caracal, Cheetah, Coccinella septempunctata, Common kingfisher, Congo peafowl, Corn snake, Dryocampa rubicunda, Emerald tree boa, Emperor angelfish, Emperor dragonfly, Emperor penguin, Giraffe, Greater blue-ringed octopus, Green peafowl, Green sea turtle, Indian peafowl, Jaguar, Leopard, Lion, Luna moth, Mallard, Mandarin duck, Monarch butterfly, Moorish idol, Morpho menelaus, Northern cardinal, Ocellaris clownfish, Orca, Painted turtle, Panther chameleon, Paracanthurus, Plains zebra, Red lionfish, Royal gramma, Scarlet macaw, Serval, Snow leopard, Synchiropus splendidus, Tiger, Toco toucan. The six peacock strips named Peacock and Peahen follow Indian peafowl: the male has a long blue neck, a crest tipped with bluish-green, bare white skin above and below the eye, scaly bronze-green feathers on the back, chestnut primaries, black secondaries, buff thighs, a glossy green chest and a dark brown tail; the train is bronze-green, and each eye-spot has a purplish-black center ringed with blue and then a copper rim, surrounded by alternating green and bronze; the train feathers have no colored pigments, and their color comes from the micro-structure of the feathers; the peahen is brownish above with a metallic green lower neck and whitish underparts. Blue jay says the same of its blue: it is not derived from pigments but from the way the feathers' inner structure interferes with light. Where an article gives an animal fewer than five colors, the strip ends on its setting (grass, water, sky, a leaf, a branch, shade or snow), named as such; the settings, and which hex code stands for each color word, are our own choice, and nothing is sampled from a photograph. Our own tests, not a standard: no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab; no two palettes share four codes. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-08: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint or pencils, take the nearest color. Licence: own work

How it works

Each animal color palette here comes from one named animal, and every color says which part it is: a tiger's orange fur and black stripes, a puffin's orange legs. The colors follow the animal's description on Wikipedia.

Read the full guide

Peacock color palette

Choose Peacock in the menu under the button. The neck is cobalt blue #153EAC, the crest tips teal #158084, the train emerald green #148F5C and bronze #80702D, and each eyespot has a copper rim #C6662F. The strip named Peacock holds all five. Peahen, Green peafowl and Congo peacock are in the same group.

Animal or setting

Where an animal has fewer than five colors, the strip ends on its setting and says so: dry grass under a zebra, water around a clownfish, a leaf under a ladybug.

Questions and answers

What colors are in a peacock color scheme?

Blue and green first. The male Indian peafowl has a blue neck, a bronze-green train and eyespots ringed in blue, copper, green and bronze. Chestnut, black, buff and dark brown are in his wings, thighs and tail.

Why is a peacock's train so colorful?

Not because of pigment. The train feathers have no colored pigments: their color comes from the microscopic structure of the feather. A blue jay gets its blue the same way, from the structure of its feathers and not from a pigment.

Which animals have the brightest colors?

On this list: the scarlet macaw in scarlet, yellow and two blues, the mandarinfish in blue with orange stripes and red eyes, the rosy maple moth in pink and yellow, and the panther chameleon, whose males are blue, red, green or orange.

What color is a tiger?

Orange fur, white in places, black stripes and a pink nose. The Tiger strip adds khaki for dry grass. A lion is plainer: light buff, silvery gray or yellowish red, with a dark tuft at the tip of the tail.