Copperas Cove asks House Creek residents to stop feeding wild peacocks

Copperas Cove is again telling House Creek residents to stop feeding a flock of wild peacocks that has lingered in the neighborhood for nearly two decades. City officials say the birds have left droppings on homes, porches and vehicles, and some have pecked at car doors and windows after seeing their reflections. The problem has outlasted earlier trapping efforts, and city leaders say feeding only makes it harder to move the flock out of House Creek North.

Rick Counter of the Copperas Cove Police Department said the birds likely trace back to a property just outside the city limits where a resident originally kept them. After that person died, the birds either escaped or were released and eventually settled in what is now House Creek North. Counter said the peacocks are wild animals and can act aggressively if they feel threatened, especially when they are cornered or challenged.

Officials said the city has tried trapping the birds before, but those efforts failed for two reasons. The traps also caught other animals, including cats and loose pets, and the peacocks were smart enough to reach through the traps for food instead of going inside. That has left the city leaning on a simpler message for the neighborhood: stop feeding the birds, because the food keeps them coming back.

The issue has become a local nuisance problem rather than a story of direct attacks. Residents have complained about messes on property and about birds pecking at vehicles, which has turned the flock into a daily annoyance in a compact city that sits in southern Coryell County and western Lampasas County, near Fort Cavazos. City leaders also plan to consult ranchers and exotic-animal experts about longer-term options.

Copperas Cove’s problem fits a wider Texas pattern. City of San Antonio Animal Care Services says peafowl are not native to Texas, became free-roaming in some residential areas after being introduced decades ago, and are often best managed through neighborhood education and discouraging feeding. San Antonio also notes that peafowl can create excessive noise and damage roofs, cars and gardens, and that many cities use ordinances restricting feeding or allowing trapping and relocation, although nuisance control is often difficult.