San Antonio’s City Council has got birds on the brain once again.
Peafowl and exotic birds may soon come under new protections within the City of San Antonio under a recent Council Consideration Request filed by Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7).
The city is looking to use the request to establish policies on how to handle wild peafowl, the non-native bird species that peacocks and peahens are classified under, as well as all wild exotic birds living in San Antonio. The City Council’s Governance Committee was initially briefed on the request Tuesday morning and has shifted the request to its Public Safety Committee for further review.
While San Antonio achieved certification as a Bird City by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 2021, the certification focuses only on the protection of native birds and their habitats.
Because peafowl are considered an “exotic” fowl by Texas Parks, there are limited regulations for peafowl in San Antonio and they are not afforded the same protections as native species, explained Assistant City Manager David McCary.
Since they are also considered wildlife, the city’s Animal Care Services Department does not address issues with peafowl unless it is a cruelty-related matter or if the peafowl is injured, he added.
“The peafowl are considered exotic fowl by Texas Parks and Wildlife and are not subject to the Federal Migratory Bird Act,” McCary said. “Currently, in San Antonio, it is unlawful to abuse or cruelly treat peafowl. It is also unlawful to sell peafowl in public places, use inhumane traps, or hunt wild peafowl.”
The CCR notes that some residents consider peafowl as “a valued part of their neighborhood,” and note they can “serve as an attraction for the area.” Indeed, for many locals, it’s well known that the Glenoaks neighborhood near the South Texas Medical Center has long hosted wildly roaming peafowl that openly strut the streets and yards of the quiet neighborhood.
For others, however, peafowl are considered disruptive and destructive, as they can cause excessive noise as well as damage to roofs, cars, and gardens, the CCR states. Some cities have enacted ordinances restricting or allowing peafowl management efforts such as ordinances that prohibit feeding or enable trapping and relocation, the request adds.
Councilwoman Alderete Gavito told the San Antonio Report her draft for the request came about after several residents within the Glenoaks neighborhood reached out to her in an uproar due to the fact one of their fellow neighbors had hired an unlicensed capturer to remove peacocks from the area.
“Right now there wasn’t anything in our policy that would have protected the [peacocks],” she said. “This kind of stuff slips through the cracks, you know? But … that’s what we’re here to do, is to figure this stuff out.”
It’s unclear how many peafowl live in San Antonio — the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and ACS both said they do not have any solid estimates — but the Councilwoman said she saw “hundreds” in the neighborhood on her recent visit.
If the council approves the request, it will make the capture, killing, shooting, trapping, removal or relocation of all exotic birds — including peafowl — not permitted by untrained, unlicensed individuals within the city, punishable by an appropriate fine not to exceed $500.
Approval of the request would also allow ACS to humanely capture, remove and relocate peafowl or other exotic birds — but only after taking community input into account and only when the relocation benefits outweigh the costs, the CCR states. It would also create an ordinance allowing only licensed and permitted handlers to remove or relocate peafowl, and remove any language from the city website’s peafowl landing page indicating what is lawful but not encouraged.
The city’s next Public Safety Committee is set for mid-May, at which time the request will be further discussed and reviewed.
