COIMBATORE: As many as 37 lakh peafowl were found across the state during a study carried out between January 2023 and December 2025 with Krishnagiri district having the highest density of this large bird.
The study was carried out by the scientists of the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) with the help of Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
In terms of estimated peafowl density Krishnagiri district — 105 peafowl in a two-kilometre area — was closely followed by Tirunelveli (82 peafowls), Thoothukudi (71), Tiruvannamalai (64), and Tiruppur (53) districts.
The study also established that peafowl mostly damage paddy crops.
Paddy crops accounted for 30.46% of crops damaged by them followed by cereals like maize, corn, and millets (24.8%); and vegetables like chilli, tomato, cucumber, onion, potato, and other herbaceous crops (23.6%), shows the study.
Flowers, groundnut, cotton, fruit orchards, sugarcane, and plantation crops were also damaged by the peafowl in less intensity.
Unfortunately, devices that were set up to scare away the peafowl on farmlands on a trial basis are not working out well. However, simple, innovative, cost-effective solutions attempted by farmers like tying of nylon rope and plastic bags on the periphery of paddy fields have been found effective to drive them away.
"After hearing a device that delivered various sounds, including barking sounds of dogs, peafowl were standing near a farmland for four days, and after that, the peafowl entered and started damaging them. Such devices were installed at a farmland in Thondamuthur on a trial basis. We need to engage in a lot of experimental study to prevent the peafowl from damaging crops," said HN Kumara, Principal Scientist of SACON.
Currently, farmers deploy dogs, hang reflective stickers along the farmland, and beat oil tins with sticks to chase away peafowl and prevent them from damaging the crops. These are the methods widely used by farmers across the state," the scientist pointed out.
Moreover, the team also found that farmers resort to poisoning the birds to protect their crops, with poisoning found to be the most common cause of peafowl deaths.
"Out of 1,345 deaths of peafowls that were taken for study, we found 600 were due to pesticide poisoning. Farmers spray or mix pesticide in maize, corn, etc so that the peafowl consume it. Likewise, electrocution, natural causes, and vehicular accidents as well as unknown causes top the list on the causes of peafowl deaths," the scientist added.