Will cities declare peacocks fowl non grata as Miami-Dade loosens bird protections?

Peacocks may lose their legally mandated welcome in some neighborhoods across Miami-Dade after county commissioners agreed to loosen a law protecting the divisive birds.

The county’s 20-year-old law against harming or capturing peacocks remains on the books, but the County Commission on Tuesday agreed to a modification allowing cities to opt out of the rules if they present an appropriate plan for humanely removing peacocks from properties where they’re not wanted.

“Mating season is when we get the most complaints. They get very aggressive,” said sponsor Raquel Regalado, whose District 7 boundaries include parts of Coral Gables and Miami where peacocks roam the sidewalks. “They lay their eggs, they build their nests, they peck the cars.”

Peacocks are an emotional issue in Miami, where they’re a non-native species but also part of Miami iconography. Some neighbors cherish the colorful fowl, others complain of the endless source of droppings, noise and even damage the heavy birds cause in their roosting on houses and cars.

“In my district, we learn to live with these peacocks,” said Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, whose District 8 boundaries include Palmetto Bay, which designated itself a bird sanctuary. “They almost become a part of the community. I know our residents lose it when anyone harms any of these peacocks.”

In 2001, Miami-Dade passed the law protecting peacocks after a petition drive to save a flock in South Miami-Dade. The county law bans killing peacocks — also known as “peafowl” or “peahens” — as well as capturing them, though there’s an exemption allowing property owners to remove the birds unharmed.

State rules on non-native species prevent trappers from releasing peacocks back into the wild. While relocating the birds may be an option, finding places willing to protect peacocks is a challenge.

Administrators at Miami-Dade’s Animal Services Department told commissioners Tuesday they’ve been unable to find any sanctuary willing to accept peacocks, meaning trappers would likely euthanize the birds without Miami-Dade’s existing rules.

“We searched statewide for a sanctuary or zoo that would accept them,” said Assistant Director Kathy Labrada. “The alternative is humane euthanasia.”

Regalado initially tried to repeal the county’s peafowl ordinance entirely, but that hit resistance from commissioners as it became clear the change would likely mean an end to many peacocks. “Are we talking about sentencing peacocks to death now?” asked Commissioner Oliver Gilbert.

The watered-down version Regalado offered near the end of Tuesday’s meeting barely passed 5-4, with votes against from Cohen Higgins, René Garcia, Joe Martinez and Jean Monestime.

With cities required to submit peafowl “mitigation” plans to opt out of the county’s ordinance, commissioners will have a chance to approve local rules for removing the birds. Regalado said the challenge for municipal leaders will be finding places to relocate the peacocks, since euthanizing them likely won’t win support.

“This really is not about killing,” she said. “This is about moving.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Will cities declare peacocks fowl non grata as Miami-Dade loosens bird protections?."