Self-sustaining population of Indian Peafowl on a wine farm in the Wellington district, Western Cape

Abstract

A population of at least 60 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus has been established on a wine farm on the eastern edge of the Paardeberg, near Wellington, in the Western Cape, South Africa. They have been feral for at least 25 years. We describe the daily routine of these birds and provide photographic evidence of breeding. We discuss the need to document other self-sustaining populations in southern Africa, pointing out that Indian Peafowl populations are reported to be decreasing in their natural range in southern Asia, and that in same of the places where populations have become established, they have achieved pest status.