For people who do not like peacocks, noise is often the main reason they do not like these beautiful birds. With that said, if you are reading this article because you are looking into getting peafowl, you MUST read this article: Neighbors & Peafowl.
To hear peacock noises, visit this page: Peafowl Sound Clips
The male peafowl is quiet most of the year. Once breeding season arrives the peacock begins to make loud calls which I describe as, "Ahhhhh whhaaaaahh whahhh whhhhaaaa". Personally this sound conjures a tropical jungle scene in my mind, with many exotic animal noises, and in the midst of the shaded understory, you hear the peacock call, bouncing off of the tree trunks and into your ears. To others, this noise sounds like a woman, who they cannot see, is screaming for her life perhaps being attacked by someone or in pain. This might bring them to call the police! Everyone describes the noise a peacock makes differently. To some, it is beautiful, to others, it is scary.
So, why does the beautiful peacock make such a loud noise?
Well, during the breeding season the peacock makes this call mainly to attract peahens. Sometimes peacocks will start calling if they hear another peacock calling. If you have several peacocks it can get pretty noisy if everyone decides to 'sing' together. Which is a good reason to keep the amount of peacocks you keep to a low number if you have nearby neighbors. Peacocks will also call if a plane flies over or if they hear a loud car drive by. Basically peacocks will call randomly during the breeding season. Sometimes they will call at night as well, which the neighbors might also not approve of.
What can I do about keeping my peacock(s) quiet?
Nothing much. Before getting these birds, you should have realized that they can get noisy, and you should have been prepared for that. Keeping the number of males you have down is a great way to keep the noise level down. Males start calling at 2 years old and seem to call more at 3 years of age and up. Providing at least one peahen could help keep the noise level down as well, because the peacock will not have to call so much in hopes of getting a peahen to show up if you already have a peahen there for him. You can keep your peacocks in an indoor shelter at night so that if they call at night, hopefully the shelter will prevent the neighbors from hearing the peacocks. Perhaps you could even sound proof the shelter. Lots of trees and fencing between you and your neighbor might help, and keeping your peafowl pens as far away from neighbors can help to. Perhaps you might have a relative that would keep the peafowl at their house so that you can avoid people complaining.
THINGS NOT TO DO:
- Do NOT get your peacock's vocal chords removed. Yes, people actually consider doing this! Would you want your voice taken away? I wouldn't! Please do not take your peacock's voice away. If you are seriously considering this option, then you need to sell your peacock to someone who can care for him properly. There are many other colorful pheasants that you can keep that will not make a lot of noise. You should keep some other kind of bird.
- Do NOT put a no crow rooster collar on your peacock. This will probably be uncomfortable for a peacock, and it certainly will not be pretty. It will also mess up his feathers on his neck where the collar is. If you are so serious about not wanting your peacock to make any noise, then sell him and get a peahen instead. Peahens don't make the loud call that the peacock makes. Once again, there are many other birds that you can get that are not as noisy.
Part of keeping a peacock is the noise during breeding season. If you can't put up with it, or your neighbors can't, then peafowl might not be for you. That is just the raw truth. I have given you some information on how to keep the noise level down, but also I have told you what you should never do to keep your peacock from making noise. I hope that you can have peacocks, and I hope that you and your neighbors enjoy the noise they make. I enjoy the noise the males make, and when the breeding season is over I miss their loud calls. I never get tired of the noise they make, but for those that do get tired of the noise, do not let them persuade you into quieting your beautiful peacock. Find a better way to solve the problem that will be beneficial to all.
