Officials loosen protections for peacocks in Miami

Unlike pythons and iguanas — other nonnative species that have found a home in the Sunshine State — peafowl are considered a domestic species and are protected under Florida’s anti-cruelty law, said Lisa Thompson, a spokesperson for the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Essentially, peacocks receive the same treatment as cattle, pigs, chickens and sheep and fall “under the jurisdiction of local governments,” Thompson said. Miami’s city code declares the city a bird sanctuary and makes it “unlawful for any person to shoot, trap or in any manner kill or destroy birds within the city.”