Peacocks in Pinecrest: Plan approved to control ‘critical mass' of colorful birds

Peacocks are some of the prettiest birds, but they can also be a pretty big nuisance. 

In Miami-Dade County, they are reproducing exponentially — and now the Village of Pinecrest has a plan to slow them down. On Tuesday, the county commission approved a mitigation plan to humanely control the population.

“Most people see one peacock and they're like, oh that's nice, two — we’re talking about large numbers of birds that take up a lot of space and get very aggressive and protective of their nest," said District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado.

The pilot program involves humanely trapping the male peacocks and sterilizing them.

“One male could father six or seven or 10 nests," veterinarian Dan Harris said. "So if we can sterilize one male and keep them dominant, now we’re preventing six to 10 nests from reproducing. The females will still lay eggs but they will be infertile."

Harris will perform the vasectomies, leaving in place their testosterone and dominance.

“The procedure itself is incredibly benign compared to what's done with cats and dogs and other animals that are sterilized," Harris said.

It’s a solution that could prove to be effective for other communities like Miami, South Miami and Coral Gables that are facing similar issues.  

“This allows the peacocks to continue doing everything that peacocks do but not procreating at the rate they’ve been procreating," Regalado said.

Not only that, peacocks are disrupting the quality of life. They’re known for damaging property, attacking cars when they see their reflection, and they are loud.  

“They're vocal. Very vocal at sunset and sunrise, so they can be a disturbance, and lastly, like poop through a goose. They poop in people's driveways, sidewalks, and people have complained about slip and fall accidents," Harris said.

Trappings should start within six weeks. The procedure lasts 90 minutes and the peacocks will be released.

“The population has reached critical mass," Harris said. "So now, we’re saying many more birds hit by cars, many more attacked by dogs. They exceed the carrying capacity of the environment, and when that happens, they start getting hurt, sick and die off."