We Asked An Expert Why We Keep Hearing About Escaped Peacocks

    Mr. Peacock has the deets.

    Lauren Strapagiel
    by Lauren Strapagiel

    BuzzFeed News Reporter, Canada

    An escaped peacock named Tango was recently caught in Prince Edward Island after six weeks on the run.

    CBC P.E.I. @CBCPEI

    This peacock is now going to have a warm place to stay this winter. http://t.co/d6xLmdWPu5 #pei

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    In May, an escaped peacock in Toronto also made headlines as it jumped across rooftops.

    Iain Mc @IainMcTO

    @mattgallowaycbc @metromorning #torontopeacock escaped from High Park Zoo on the loose

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    But wait, there's more! A "rather large and aggressive" peacock was also on the loose in London, England this summer.

    Jane Hoodless @JaneHoodless

    'Bold, fat' peacock wandering the streets of Hampstead. #AudaciousAvianAntics http://t.co/MRqLledqim

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    Similar escapees have made headlines in Balitmore. And New York City. And Colorado. And Mumbai. And a charming English village.

    Prakash Mathema / AFP / Getty Images

    What's the deal, peacocks?

    Lirtlon / Getty Images

    Why are they all so intent on escaping?

    Lirtlon / Getty Images
    Lirtlon / Getty Images

    What are they planning?

    CP24

    This scientific* analysis shows peacocks are particularly wont to fly the coop compared to other animals.

    BuzzFeed Canada

    * Not in any way based on science.

    Just look at this breakdown* of a peacock's natural instincts.

    BuzzFeed Canada

    * Again, not science.

    In the interest of actual science, we talked to a real peacock expert: Dennis Fett. Better known as Mr. Peacock.

    http://www.peafowl.com/resume.htm
    http://www.peafowl.com/resume.htm

    Mr. Peacock has written a book on peafowl. He's done research. He has a farm full of 'em in Iowa. He and his wife (Mrs. Peacock, obviously) host YouTube shows. Their home has peacock-print wallpaper.

    Rest assured, this man knows peacocks.

    We asked Mr. Peacock: are peafowl more eager to escape, or does it just seem that way?

    Stephane De Sakutin / AFP / Getty Images

    The short answer is no. The problem, said Mr. Peacock, is people.

    "People get em and they think they’re like chickens or geese or ducks — a week after they get them they can let them go," he said.

    As it turns out they're more like cats and need some time to warm up to new owners and surroundings. Giving them free reign too early on means they're just going to wander away.

    Peacocks in public locations are also vulnerable to getting spooked by visitors who get too close or try to pet them or pluck a feather.

    "Sometimes people do silly things and make bad choices and frighten the birds and they just jump," said Mr. Peacock.

    They're not even particularly difficult to catch.

    Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP / Getty Images

    "They’re easy to capture," said Mr. Peacock. "But people — if they don’t know animals — they crowd them [and] they get frightened."

    They're also pros at surviving on their own. They can get by in below-zero temperatures and are adept at foraging for bugs and greenery. That's why in some of those missing peacock stories the escapee shows up weeks or months later, no worse for wear.

    But if that's the case, why are we so attentive whenever a peacock gets loose? Mr. Peacock suspects it's just another example of mankind's long-standing fascination with the creatures.

    Stuart Franklin / Getty Images

    "Peacocks have been always interesting since the beginning of time," he said noting that peacocks have appeared in religious imagery for thousands of years.

    "I like all animals but I have never seen an animal on this earth that is as mesmerizing as a peacock in full display."