We get quite a few enquiries each year about Peafowl. Sometimes it’s through a concern for their welfare but, most often, it’s because the birds are causing a nuisance, making a lot of noise and roosting in trees and on cars and roofs where they can cause damage.
Firstly, it’s important to clarify that Peafowl (Peacocks/Peahens) are not wildlife. They do not occur naturally in the wild in the UK and will actually be feral birds – those straying from a domestic collection. As such, we are not really able to advise on them and most wildlife rescues are not able to take them in. These are very large birds which require the sort of space that most wildlife rescues simply do not have.
What Can Be Done? #
The first step will be to try and locate the owners. They may actually live a few miles from where the birds are gathering as peafowl have quite large territories. As peafowl are non-native it is illegal to allow them to escape into the wild so the owner should take responsibility for them. The owner is also legally responsible for any damage caused. If they fail to recover the birds and take responsibility for keeping them contained you can contact the police and/or DEFRA (08459 33 55 77).
If you are unable to trace the owner and the issue persists, you can try contacting domestic animal rescue groups to see if they are able to rehome them. Please understand, however, that catching them can be very difficult and homes can be hard to find due to the amount of space they need. Organisations most likely to be able to help are those with considerable resource or space such as the RSPCA, zoological parks, or farm animal rescues.
