Peafowl Trapping Returns To Palos Verdes

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA — Peafowl trapping will resume again in some neighborhoods in Rancho Palos Verdes to try and cut back on the number of the beautiful — yet pesky — peacocks and peahens, city officials decided this week.

Rancho Palos Verdes city officials released its 2021 Peafowl Census and found an increase in the population from 121 in 2020 and 181 in 2021. This includes both male and female Peafowl.

Although they're known for their iconic beauty, neighbors have reported car damage, poop, noise, destroyed gardens and traffic stops due to the increased population, according to the city.

The move to trap the birds comes a year after pausing the trapping program. In 2015, the city council adopted the Peafowl Management Plan to keep the citywide population of peacocks and peahens at 134.

There are no regulations or laws prohibiting the trapping of peafowl on private property, according to the city.

In the 2000 and 2008 censuses on Peafowl, the city supported limited, targeted trapping. Residents are permitted to trap peafowl on their personal property at their own expense.

"It is not the City's intent to eradicate the peafowl population, but to manage the population at levels identified in 2000 and to educate the public on how to coexist with the birds," according to a statement from the city. "This is all in an effort to strike a balance between differing opinions in the City.Every year, the City Council receives a report on the past year's trapping program (if trapping was conducted), as well as a census report for the current year's peafowl population, to determine whether or not to resume trapping."

Most of the peafowl population counted in the 2021 census are contained to three neighborhoods, according to the city.

Here's the recent count by neighborhood, number of peafowl and gender:

• Grandview, 2 (1 male & 1 female)
• Crestridge, 5 (2 males & 3 females)
• Portugues Bend, 54 (28 males & 26 females)
• Vista Grande, 55 (30 males & 25 females)
• Sunnyside Ridge, 61 (25 males & 36 females)
• Monaco, 4 (2 males & 2 females)

Patch reached out to officials for more information about the Peafowl Management Plan and trappings. As of Tuesday, the council voted to limit the number of trapped birds to 50, The Daily Breeze reports.

Patch Asks: What's your experience with peacocks or peahens in the Peninsula? Tell us in the comments.

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