Rottnest Island Peafowl Pavo cristatus - a colourful history comes to an end

Abstract

During the early 1900s, the Acclimatization Committee of Western Australia introduced several species to Rottnest Island, most of which ultimately failed to establish. The Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus was one that was successful and became synonymous with visits to the island. Peafowl eventually became too much of a nuisance and in 2009 the population was reduced by the Rottnest Island Authority leaving just male birds. In April 2022 the last peafowl died. We present the history of peafowl on Rottnest Island and describe how the introduced species’ residence on Rottnest Island came to end.