They block traffic, destroy gardens, screech incessantly and poop on cars and roofs. And the males peck violently at parked cars when they mistake their own reflection for a romantic rival.
It is unknown how many peacocks live in Los Angeles County, but county officials say there are easily hundreds of them,
They are peacocks－hundreds of them. The birds roam freely across streets and lawns of homes in California's San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles. They have been in the area since the late 19th century, descendants of a small population imported from India.
Some residents have even tried to run them over with their cars, shoot them with pellet guns or poison them. Lovers of the birds and their beautiful plumage feed them.
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It is unknown how many peacocks live in Los Angeles County, but county officials say there are easily hundreds of them, and that over the past two years the population has exploded because peacocks are prolific breeders. Protected by law, scores have been seen standing on homeowners' lawns, on rooftops and casually sauntering down city sidewalks.
"They wake me up at dawn. They sound like babies being tortured through a microphone, a very large microphone," Kathleen Tuttle, 68, a retired prosecutor of East Pasadena, told The Washington Post
Nancy Adams lives a block from Tuttle. "I love them," Adams, 67, said of the birds. "I know there's people here that don't like them. I say, 'Why don't you move?'"
Another resident, Maria Gunnell, said the peacocks were born in the area and deserve to stay there. "I spend a lot of money just buying feed for them," she told ABC News.
Mike Maxcy, a retired zookeeper, said: "It seems like you either love them or you hate them."
He contracts with city and county governments to relocate peacocks at around US$200 a bird from neighborhoods to large ranches where they can run free with ostriches or other animals.
Polarizing topic
"I've been doing this as a side job for over 20 years, and I've never seen such a polarizing topic," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Maxcy works with willing residents such as Tuttle to set up big cages in their yards and lures the birds in with food like nuts or berries.
What is dividing so many residents of the area is whether people should be allowed to feed the feral birds, which can become aggressive when they depend on humans who scatter breadcrumbs, dog food and bird food in their yards and driveways for them.
The issue has become so contentious that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted earlier this month to draft an ordinance that will prohibit residents from feeding the animals.
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Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose San Marino neighborhood is home to peacocks, led the initiative. She said that the cities of Pasadena and Arcadia prohibit feeding peacocks, and that it is time for the county to follow suit.
Arcadia, despite the feeding ban, has made the peacock its city emblem. In January, the Downtown Arcadia Improvement Association inaugurated a new mascot, Perdy Peacock, who makes promotional appearances.
