Scots villagers left baffled by mystery peacock spotted roaming streets

Daily Record

2 days ago

The large bird has been spotted numerous times in and around the Moor Road area between Strathblane and Mugdock with locals their scratching their head over where the peacock came from.
Residents in a west Stirlingshire street were left bemused this week when they spotted an unexpected feathered guest - a peacock.
The large bird has been sighted multiple times in the Moor Road area between Strathblane and Mugdock, leaving locals puzzled as to its origins – with one dog walker even receiving a wing-slap to the face from the bird.
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Concerned villagers have been trying to identify the owner of the peacock.
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One local, sharing their experience on a community Facebook page, recounted a "close encounter" they had with the bird.
They posted: "I had a very close encounter with this bird the other night near the Gowk Stane. It must've been hiding in the grass, the dog startled it and it took flight skelping me across the head!"
It appears that the first sighting occurred on Tuesday of this week and by Thursday morning, the peacock was reportedly still at large.
The SSPCA confirmed that it has not received any reports of a loose peacock in the area.
A spokesperson advised: "We ask people if they know of anyone in the area that has peacocks, such as private owners, sanctuary, zoo etc, to contact them in the first instance as it would be better if someone familiar to the bird comes to help."
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Renowned for their striking blue and green plumage, peacocks belong to the pheasant family and are technically known as peafowl – only the males are referred to as peacocks, while the females are called peahens.
Peafowl, in their natural habitat, roam extensively across the Indian subcontinent.
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In the UK, they are considered a non-native species and thus do not fall under any wildlife protection legislation, which means they aren't recognised as wild birds within the country.
The majority of peafowl present in the UK are likely to be owned by individuals, as they are commonly kept as domestic pets.
The male birds are distinguished by their impressively long "trains" – tails that can stretch out to a metre in length.