By FARRAH PARK
If some Jericho residents had their way, they might change the Jericho High School mascot from a Jayhawk to a peacock. Peafowl, the collective name for peacocks (males) and peahens (females), are commonly spotted wild animals in the East Birchwood section of Jericho.
Although observing wild peafowl may be a rare and intriguing experience for most, the East Birchwood community comes in contact with these peafowl on a daily basis. Jericho High School students have observed these peafowl since middle school. Senior Rachel L. said, “I’ve noticed them start to come out, maybe when I was in eighth grade.”
In recent years, East Birchwood residents have noticed an increase in peafowl sightings. Homeowner Ellen L. said, “I’ve seen them for the past six years. Now there’s probably about eight that come here.”
Many residents feel these peafowl add charm to the community with their brightly-colored feathers and intriguing patterns. Jericho High School alumnus and East Birchwood resident Crystal H. said, “I think it’s pretty fancy, pretty cool, to see them walking around.”
Wild peacocks like these, as well as peahens, have become a common sight in the Jericho neighborhood of East Birchwood.
Most feel comfortable with the peafowl. Resident Ellen H. said, “They’re kind of people-friendly, they don’t seem to be afraid of us. They don’t come too close, but they don’t seem to feel threatened.”
She added, “If I see a car stop, I know they’re taking pictures because it is an unusual sight to see in the neighborhood.”
These peacocks were spotted on Merry Lane near the Jericho Public Library.
However, others are not as comfortable around the peafowl and report negative encounters with them. Jericho High School senior Ellin Z. said, “I was near the library, and a bunch of peacocks started following my friends and me, and they started cawing. I was nervous and scared because they wouldn’t stop.”
Senior Rachel L. said, “A peacock was roosting on the roof, so I was a little scared to go up to the door because the peacocks were kind of scary. I didn’t want to get too close to them.”
Crystal H. added, “There was one time when I was in high school and my mom wasn’t home. The peacock was kind of pooping at the front door of my house, and I was too scared to kick them out.”
Resident Syed R. agrees that the peafowl excrement is a nuisance. He said, “They just leave poop everywhere, and that’s pretty annoying.”
Peacocks like to bask in sunny areas to conserve heat in the winter. These peacocks are warming up on a resident’s back deck.
Since peafowl are not native to Long Island, it’s unclear how they got to East Birchwood. A common belief among residents is that the peafowl belong to The Milleridge Inn, a neighborhood catering venue and restaurant. Ellen H. said, “I think they were originally from the Milleridge Inn, but I don’t know what made them migrate this way.”
Jericho Public Library’s Local History Librarian Betsey Murphy explained how decades ago, The Milleridge Inn had a children’s zoo on the premises. She said, “They also had a small petting zoo with a few chickens, a donkey, and I believe they added the peacocks around that time. The birds were hard to contain so they ended up wandering around the neighborhood as they pleased. They even visited the Jericho Library now and then.”
Despite the fact that The Milleridge Inn social media posts refer to the peafowl as theirs, someone who claimed to be a manager at the venue, but who would not provide her name, said, “We don’t know how they got here.”
A recent Milleridge Inn Facebook post features the peacock as a way to invite East Birchwood community members and others to frequent their establishment.
As far back as 2016, The Milleridge Inn claims the peackocks as theirs.
Regardless of how they arrived, there are potential problems with the peafowl. Jericho High School AP Biology Teacher Ms. Ciasulli notes that an increase in the peafowl population can be a hazard. She said, “We live in a suburb here in Jericho, but it’s not rural. So I could see in small numbers it being okay, but I think if the numbers increase past a certain point, they now become a nuisance and a danger.”
Similar to laws that were created to keep dogs on leashes and prevent them from roaming freely, Nassau County SPCA Detective Michael Geller believes protocols would have to be put into place if the peafowl increase exponentially. He added, “They changed those laws to stop the dogs from breeding and just running wild, and now you don’t see dogs running around anymore. If the peacocks get out of hand they would have to do the same thing.”
An increase of peafowl raises concern for their safety, especially with automobiles. Ellen H. remarked that some drive too fast and could possibly harm the peafowl since they move so slowly. She said, “They should put a speed bump on this hill.”
Biology teacher Ms. Ciasulli emphasized Ellen’s concerns. She said, “Cars are in the way, people trying to ride their bikes, people have pets in their yard–now there are peacocks in the yard. It invites other predators into the yard, too, that now want to feed on the peacock.”
SPCA Detective Geller warns of a possible increase in predation. “If it goes unregulated and there are no predators for the peacocks, it’s a full circle and any ecosystem has a circle. One thing eats another thing and keeps it in check. The coyotes can come get the peacocks, bringing in an alpha predator,” he said.
If the quantity of peafowl increases, actions to control the population will be costly. This will become an issue for homeowners and local authorities to find affordable methods to reduce or eliminate the peafowl population. Detective Geller said, “Anytime you bring an animal to the shelter it’s got to be checked out medically, and you’re talking four to eight hundred dollars just for a basic medical exam. Then you have to get food for it, feed it. It’s a slippery slope.”
For now, East Birchwood residents and the peafowl are mostly coexisting peacefully. However, it remains to be seen what may happen as the peafowl continue to reproduce and possibly overpopulate the neighborhood.
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