Study reveals exponential rise in peafowl population in Tamil Nadu

A total of 1,025 peafowl were sighted in 32 of the 38 districts in the State. However, data from internet-based bird monitoring platform eBird and detections made in the survey revealed that the bird was present in all the 38 districts

A year-long study carried out by scientists from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore, has indicated an exponential rise in the population of peafowl in Tamil Nadu.

The first-of-its-kind study, carried out last year, estimated a mean population size of peafowl of about 61 lakh, and a minimum population size of about 38 lakh.

A total of 1,025 peafowl were sighted in 32 of the 38 districts in the State. However, data from internet-based bird monitoring platform eBird and detections made in the survey revealed that the bird was present in all the 38 districts, the study said.

The Forest Department had tasked Principal Scientist H.N. Kumara and Senior Scientist S. Babu from SACON to carry out the study, ‘Assessing human-peafowl conflict and developing an action plan to reduce the conflicts in select zones of Tamil Nadu’, following complaints of crop damage caused by peafowl and their deaths due to poisoning.

Though peafowl are birds of scrub forests and forest edges, which prefer moist, dry deciduous and semi-arid habitats, their range has expanded to urban and semi-urban localities, leading to negative interactions with humans.

The study team, which also included researchers Kishore R. and B.K. Aravindan, interviewed 1,136 people in 35 districts, and 78.70% of farmers reported crop damage caused by peafowl and 82.88% said it was a daily occurrence. Sorghum (100%), flowers (85.71%), paddy (71.29%) and vegetables (80.99%) were prone to major damage.

As per the study, 1,345 peafowl deaths were reported between 2011 and 2023, based on data from the Forest Department and secondary sources such as news reports. Pesticide poisoning, electrocution, and vehicular accidents were the top causes of peafowl mortality in the State, and the highest mortality was recorded in March (197), followed by August (183), October (136), September (129), and June (120).  

The study said the disappearance of mesocarnivores, mainly jackals and foxes, from the plains of Tamil Nadu had been hypothesised for the increase in the population of peafowl.

“It is evident from our survey that only 5.2% of farmers have mentioned that they have seen jackals/foxes in their area. Even in areas where farmers mentioned the presence of jackals, there are peafowl, but their numbers are low. This is probably due to the low population of jackals,” Dr. Kumara said.

People interviewed for the study mentioned grey mongoose (70.98%), followed by jungle cat, jackal/fox and small Indian civet as the common mesocarnivores that were natural predators of peafowl.

According to Suhel Quader, scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation, sightings of peafowl recorded on eBird had indicated a six-fold increase in Tamil Nadu in the past 20 years, whereas their sightings had doubled in the country as a whole during the period.

The possible correlation between the decline in the number of natural predators such as jungle cat and jackal and the rise in peafowl population, and the effects of the increase in the population of the omnivore on other species, such as snakes, which it preys upon, needed to be studied, Dr. Quader said.

“The increase in the peafowl population is a serious concern for farmers. They feed on maize seeds immediately after planting. Maize is an important crop as the stover is an essential feed for cattle. Peafowl also damage tomato, chilli, millets, paddy and other grains,” said G. Ranganathan, State executive committee member of Thamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam.

Since fencing is not effective, farmers have very few options to keep peafowl away. “One of the methods is tying plastic tape every 20 metres across the farm, depending on the height of the crop. Peafowl are afraid of entering such areas as the tape becomes a hindrance while taking off or landing. Some farmers also keep trained country dogs that scare and chase crop-raiding peafowl,” Mr. Ranganathan said.

The Indian peafowl is among the species with the highest degree of protection, listed under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022. The species is venerated as peacock is considered the vehicle of Lord Muruga.

Published - November 21, 2024 08:16 pm IST