Other animals

Keeping peafowl and peacocks

Peafowl are members of the pheasant family, and the national bird of India. We sometimes receive complaints about problems from peacocks being kept at residential or commercial premises as they:

• can be noisy - they have a very loud high-pitched meow like call. They call a lot during the mating season (early spring to early autumn). Dawn and late evening is a favourite time for this
• tend to wander and when people get them, they often don’t realise there’s a process you need to go through to get them to stay in a particular area, although this can often be unsuccessful
• like to roost in trees and will commonly go looking for a suitable one, often this outside of the owner’s area. They will also roost on roofs where they can cause damage
• are fond of cars and enjoy standing on them. They will also attack their reflection in cars and cause damage by scratching and pecking them
• often dig up flowerbeds and cause damage to gardens while foraging for food

Peacocks are not suitable to be kept as pets in residential areas. Peacocks are ideally suited to country houses or rural areas with no close neighbours.

Complaints

• Noise - We can investigate if peafowl cause a noise nuisance
• Wildlife and escapes - Peafowl are a non-indigenous species so aren't protected by wildlife law. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits releasing animals 'not ordinarily resident' into the wild, so if a peafowl escapes, it should be reported to Defra by phone on 0845 9 33 55 77 or by emailing [email protected]
• Road - They are not listed under the Road Traffic Act, so there are no requirements to report traffic accidents involving these birds
• Damage - Peafowl owners are responsible for any damage they cause under the Animals Act 1971

Last updated 15 May 2023