Stray peacock and peahen

Sussex19

Free Ranging
Premium Feather Member
Jul 3, 2022
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NSW Australia
I live in south-east NSW Australia.
On hill near us (Its called a mountain, but is more of a hill, that then goes steeply down to the coast) there is a peacock, and one or two peahens, that most have been dumped there.
They seem very happy, and have been there for over a year so I don't think (correct me if I'm wrong) there is any need to do anything for them. What I am a bit concerned about is could they breed?
There is enough feral animals here already, and the last thing I want is to have feral peafowl running everywhere.
I know absolutely nothing about peafowl, except that they are very noisy.
 
You don't need to worry, predators take most hens setting nests.
The only predators are foxes, and they seem a lot more timid around here than in some places, so I wouldn't be surprised if they kept out of their way.
Also, there is quite a bit of baiting in the area.
I really don't know if they might take off or not 🤷‍♀️
 
Cats and dogs are predators too. A quick search revealed a few more.
  • Predation by feral cats and foxes is one of the greatest threats to Australian threatened species, especially critical weight range mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs. Cats have been recorded to eat or kill over 400 vertebrate species in Australia and, together with foxes, they have played a major role in the decline of many native animals.
And of course, the birds of prey like the above-mentioned animals will take the chicks. https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/posts/2018/07/10-birds-prey-see-in-south-australia
www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/introduced-predators
 
Cats and dogs are predators too. A quick search revealed a few more.
  • Predation by feral cats and foxes is one of the greatest threats to Australian threatened species, especially critical weight range mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs. Cats have been recorded to eat or kill over 400 vertebrate species in Australia and, together with foxes, they have played a major role in the decline of many native animals.
And of course, the birds of prey like the above-mentioned animals will take the chicks. https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/posts/2018/07/10-birds-prey-see-in-south-australia
www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/introduced-predators
So I meant the only predators that I thought could kill them, in that location. But I should have been more clear.
Cats a definitely not going to take a full grown peafowl, maybe chicks but not if the adults protect them at all.
As far as I know, there are no wild dogs in that location.
Where they are, it is quite thick forest, with lots of ground cover, and one doesn't really get many birds of prey in that kind of forest.
I do think that if they breed, there is a possibility of the them going feral, but only a possibility.
My main question was just, do they go broody, and can domestic peafowl raise their own chicks. (as I really didn't know)
But thank you for your thoughts!
 
They have all the instincts to hatch and raise offspring. There are feral populations here and there around the world. South Africa considers it an invasive species, but they cannot point to any significant ecosystem damage. Here in Hawaii the feral birds are controversial. Some people love them while others hate the noise.
 

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