Finding colorful and elegant birds on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is exciting for visitors and vacationers, but as the peacock population sways, authorities say some of those birds have to go.
This fall, Rancho Palos Verdes will resume a program that is rarely used to lock up and relocate Peafowl from the peninsula to curb population growth and limit the annoying behavior of animals.
While some residents are still obsessed with chickens, Rancho Palos Verdes resident Efran Comforti told KCal News that they were “the best neighbors” – the birds attracted a lot of hatred.
City Council members said they received numerous letters in support of the trap and removal program.
“They’re constantly running across the road, and that’s dangerous,” councillor George Lewis said at the May meeting. The council voted unanimously to revive the program in three areas where authorities recorded the most birds. One of these communities is a Portuguese bend, and many areas still experience large landslide movements in many areas, according to data this spring.
“Eradication of the Peafoul population is not the intention of the city, but to educate the public about how to manage its population at a level identified in 2000 and coexist with birds,” wrote Megan Burns, a spokesman for Rancho Palos Verdes in a statement.
In Rancho Palos Verdes, the peacock population was the highest in 2014, since city leaders first decided to take action to reduce the number of birds due to an increase in complaints about noise and other nuisance. Peacocks make many sounds, including piercings and distinctive screams during mating season and when they recognize threats. They also climb mountains through rooftops and landscaping, causing damage and leaving waste. Peacocks are not native to the Peninsula or Southern California, but were featured in the area over a century ago on one account.
As of the city’s 2025 Peafowl Census, 216 birds were in six neighborhoods, up 31%, from 165 last year.
In 2000, the city’s Peacock was 134, and city officials determined it was a target number. In 2014, the bird population peaked at 276 before the trapping program began.
However, even if they are no longer trapped in the past few years, the program has not been in use since 2021, but the number of Peafowls in the area has been relatively stagnant. The cause of last year’s jump was not immediately clear.
Burns said the trapped peerfall will be sent to a peninsula home that has been screened and reviewed by the city and its trapped vendors. Birds will be transported to farms and ranches in San Diego County, Benkersfield, Palmdale and Fresno. According to LAIST.
“Under any circumstances, trapped peafouls are not treated inaccurately or inhumanly,” Burns said.
The plan is intended only for the peacocks of Rancho Palos Verdes, one of the four cities of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Peacocks are also found in many other parts of the region.
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