Wild Peacocks in Ventura County: Inspiring Awe and Frustration
released into the wild. They now nest in trees near the creek or, in the case of at least one bird, in the KOA employees’ break room.
The Ventura County history of wild peafowl includes the foul game, angry words and an offering about Grandma. From the 1950s to the 1970s, the peafowl in a somewhat upscale Ventura neighborhood were such a problem that residents hired hunters to reduce the numbers. The meat was sent to a company in the Midwest to be canned or frozen.
Then there was the time in the 1980s when a Simi Valley man threatened to take the law into his hands after he spotted a neighbor feeding the peafowl. He left a trail of cracked corn from his house to the neighbor’s porch.
More recently, the peafowl have inspired a book. “Percy the Peacock” was written by a Texas mother and her two daughters who stayed overnight at the Ventura Ranch KOA. They loved the birds so much that they wrote a book about peacocks and gave copies to everyone at the campground.
“The peacocks were the highlight of their trip and they decided to capitalize on it for something special,” wrote a KOA employee in a note shared with Ventura County Star.
More than half a century after residents hunted them, people now love watching wild peafowl frequently parade in front of the county-run aviary at Steckel Park. They still cause traffic hazards and still land on the collectible car or new, black truck. They poop on the road. They cry out from the tree at midnight.
“People see the birds and they take selfies,” said park manager Keri Popa. “It brings a lot of joy to a lot of people.”
Looking to catch a glimpse of these wild beauties? Make sure to keep a safe distance, bring a camera, and always watch your step for those chocolate-covered raisins – or big bird droppings. And remember, any encounter with a wild peacock is a brush with something wild and wonderful, an encounter with nature at its most ostentatious.
