How to Get Rid of Peacocks

They steal, vandalize cars, and keep the neighbors awake by shrieking back and forth to each other at night. No, they aren't gangs of juvenile delinquents, but of peafowl, and they run in packs called either "prides" or "parties." Native to southern Asia and usually raised as domestic poultry in the U.S., these beautiful birds can run wild in warmer sections of the country such as California, Nevada, Florida, and Hawaii.

They occasionally ravage gardens and attack their reflections in the shiny surfaces of cars wherever they abide. If you are tired of them "partying" at your expense, you can discourage them with a few simple strategies.

Free-ranging birds of all species choose to hang around certain yards for a reason: One or more of their natural needs are being met at their current location. They like to clean up leftover pet food or birdseed or rummage through a compost pile for vegetable scraps and insects.

To discourage peacocks from returning to your property, always feed your pets indoors and install seed catchers on your bird feeders so that what gets scratched out isn't scattered enticingly over the ground. Cover your compost pile with netting or chicken wire to keep the big birds out of it. In gardens, peafowl are especially attracted to white flowers and young plants with tender, edible leaves, so those may need to be protected with netting as well.

Like most free-ranging poultry, peafowl don't like to get wet. Water is one of the best-known deterrents for the birds. Motion-activated sprinklers installed in the areas where they like to hang out might motivate them to move along instead. If you can't install such sprinklers, you can provide the water yourself by keeping a hose handy and gently spraying the birds with it whenever they appear. As long as the weather is warm, getting wet shouldn't actually hurt adult peacocks or peahens — only their feelings. Avoid spraying the baby peachicks, which are more vulnerable.

Peafowl are generally frightened of dogs too. If you have an invisible fence, you can keep your dog in the yard to discourage visits. Even the most milquetoast of canines will bark up a storm when he sees an intruder, especially a large, imposing peacock. An alternative is to bring a leashed dog outdoors whenever you see the birds and firmly escort them from the property, keeping far enough back that Fido can't actually reach them.

If you don't own a dog, you might want to try scattering coyote urine — sometimes available at home improvement stores or feed mills — around the edges of your lot instead. The stinky stuff may delude the birds into believing there is a wild, predaceous canine nearby.

Peafowl like to roost in trees at night and are especially attracted to those with comfortably horizontal limbs. If you have such trees on your property, it's a good idea to block access to them, perhaps by tying bird-scare balloons to the most inviting perches.