Mangatete Landcare: Peafowl are an increasingly common sight

Peafowl are not offIcially a pest in Northland, but are roaming the region in numbers.

The unmistakable cry of the peacock is now common in many areas of New Zealand.

Numerous releases, generally of abandoned display birds, have produced high feral numbers in Northland, where they tend to inhabit wooded lowlands and coastal farmland.

Peafowl are related to turkeys and pheasants, and can weigh 3.5-4.5kg and measure 70-100cm, plus another 140cm of tail. They are eaten (their tongue is a delicacy in some countries) and their iridescent feathers are prized.

In some parts of their original home, India, they are protected, and are revered for their ability to ward off evil and snakes.

The males are dark blue with the long tail, the hens smaller and plainer with green neck feathers.

The breeding season is August-January, and, like the kakapo, they are lek breeders [competitive display], with the males displaying at specific sites and the females visiting and choosing the best mate. Hens prefer males with large tail displays — the more 'eyes' in the tail, the more desirable.

The birds mature at the age of six. After mating the hens make a shallow nest in long grass, where they lay four to six eggs and incubate for 28-30 days. Feral birds tend to desert the nest after the first few chicks hatch.

These chicks stay with the hen for four months, but will remain with her for up to a year once she rejoins the flock. The hen does not feed her young, but points out food for them with her bill.

Peahens are not great mothers, and many chicks die from predation. One brood is hatched each year.

Peafowl are omnivores, eating grains, seeds, fruit and invertebrates, especially cicadas and crickets. Despite their size and tail they are fast runners, can climb well and, when disturbed, will run downhill and fly. Feral birds seem very wary.

Peafowl are out and about within the first two hours after dawn, and mostly feed in the mornings. They roost half an hour after sunset, males roosting as a group or alone and females and young roosting together. Some regional councils have declared them a pest, but not Northland.