In the land of Gamecocks, peacocks are running wild. Lexington has mixed feelings.

Lauren Leibman
·3 min read

Spring in the Midlands has brought unusual birds to Lexington County backyards this year, with several people posting pictures on Facebook of peacocks standing on porches, driveways, in front of businesses and even on train tracks.

Facebook users have reported peacocks with brightly-colored plumage and bobbing head feathers wandering freely in West Columbia and the town of Lexington.

Most of the escaped birds seem to be Indian peacocks, which are notable for their vivid blue feathers. Peacocks are male peafowl, while females are called peahens, according to National Geographic.

This isn’t the first time peafowl have traversed Lexington County streets.

Linda MacDonald, a Lexington resident, said there were two loose peacocks in her neighborhood in 2022. The birds hopped fences and roamed through yards for about a week.

“I happened to get home from running errands and there were two peacocks on my front porch,” MacDonald said.

One night during that week, MacDonald and her husband heard strange noises coming from the roof of their house. When they went outside to investigate, they found a peacock roosting atop their home.

“He just sat there and spent the night up on the roof of the house,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald said her peacock encounters were pleasant. But for others, the loose birds have been causing a disturbance.

One Facebook user said a group of three wayward peacocks have been scratching cars in her area. Other residents complained about peacocks “screeching at all hours” and climbing on top of cars.

Ann Palyok, board president of the Carolina Wildlife Refuge, said the birds likely belong to people in the area. Peacocks are considered exotic pets and are often kept on farms. She said she understands how they could cause disturbances because peacocks can be loud and sound similar to a baby crying.

“I wouldn’t want peacocks in my neighborhood,” she said.

Peacocks can sometimes be aggressive during their mating season, which extends from February to August, Tim Evans, director of land conservation at the South Carolina chapter of the Audubon Society said. But they aren’t usually dangerous.

Evans said peacocks are like “really pretty blue turkeys.”

Palyok said peacock owners should educate themselves before getting an exotic pet. Owners should provide peacocks with proper enclosures to keep them safe and prevent them from escaping.

It’s hard to confine peafowl, according to the Indiana State Poultry Association. They require tall enclosures with high roosting shelves and grass-covered runs that are about seven feet tall. Evans said it’s also a good idea for owners to clip their peacocks’ wings. It’s a safe procedure that can prevent peacocks from flying away, Evans said.

Aside from causing problems in the suburbs, Evans said it can be dangerous for domestic peacocks to enter rural areas. Peacocks can carry diseases that are dangerous to wild birds.

Facebook users have speculated that the peacocks are escaping partly because it’s mating season, although Evans said the increased number of peacock sightings could simply be due to a larger number of peafowl in the area.

Lexington County Animal Services said the peacocks reported to them have been contained, but because one peacock custodian is under investigation, no other details could be released.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Couple says goodbye to beloved home on Quebec coast after erosion put safety at risk

    Joanne Audet and Marcel Breton say they have lived an extraordinary life by the sea, but the coastal erosion along the shores of Maria, Que., has become too much for the couple."We were hit by three enormous tides within a year. You can't stay here anymore. At home, it was scary. It was rumbling, it shook. The water hits your windows. You become surrounded by water everywhere," Audet said. "We no longer had a choice. We had to leave."Their residence is among eight homes threatened by imminent co

  • Man airlifted to hospital after bear attack in B.C. Rockies: RCMP

    A British Columbia man was airlifted to a Calgary hospital with "significant injuries" Thursday after fending off a grizzly bear attack on a mountainside in the Rocky Mountains near the B.C.-Alberta border, according to RCMP and wildlife officials.Police said a father and son were tracking a bear west of Highway 43 south of Elkford, B.C., when the 36-year-old son was "attacked suddenly by an adult grizzly bear" around 3 p.m. PT.The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) later said the man was

  • 'I don't think that's wise': Video captures herd of bison charging tourists in Yellowstone

    In case you needed a visual reminder of why you are supposed to keep at least a 25-yard distance from bison and other national park wildlife.

  • Northern Lights to be visible again soon, space forecasters say

    Dazzling displays lit up the night sky last week with rare sightings across the country.

  • Snow leopard gives birth to 2 'little snowballs' at Toronto Zoo

    A snow leopard at the Toronto Zoo gave birth to two cubs this week, the Toronto Zoo has announced.Three-year-old Jita delivered the cubs after a few hours of labour. Her pregnancy had lasted 97 days. The first cub was born at about 7:45 p.m. Monday, while the second cub was born early Tuesday. Nine-year-old Pemba sired the cubs.The zoo said members of the public cannot yet view the "little snowballs" and their mom, but it will provide updates in the coming days and weeks about how and when the p

  • PHOTOS: Holy hail! Severe storms bring shovelable hail to Manitoba

    Thunderstorms blossomed in the warm, unstable air parked over the Prairies on Thursday, with accumulating hail reported across parts of Manitoba

  • How is SLO County elephant seal doing after rescue from plastic strap? ‘A happy girl’

    Docents have been keeping a close on the popular elephant seal, nicknamed “Necklace.”

  • Grey-headed chickadee listed as endangered in May

    The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) updated the status of twelve Canadian animals this month, and it included the Grey-headed Chickadee among the animals newly considered "endangered."Dr. Louise Blight is the co-chair of the COSEWIC advisory committee on birds. She said Grey-headed Chickadees live at the edge of the treeline in the Pacific Northwest, and were historically common near Old Crow. The bird is so rare that it is hard to estimate its population, she

  • 4 downy chicks born to Moncton pair of rooftop peregrine falcons

    Moncton has welcomed some new feathery friends. Two peregrine falcons that have been living in a nesting box atop the Assumption Building in the city for the last 13 years have just hatched four chicks. Earlier this year, the Magnetic Hill Zoo and Nature Moncton partnered to set up a livestream on the pair's nesting box, so viewers waited anxiously for about a month, closely watching the eggs. Jill Marvin, the director of the Magnetic Hill Zoo, said she first noticed something unusual when she c

  • 'Ozzy Osbourne' no match for stubborn Colorado bear in neighborhood tree

    Wildlife officials said the bear had gotten in the trash and found food. When the rangers arrived, the bear was already in a tree.

  • Here’s how almost half of Dubai’s trash is turned into electricity

    CNN looks inside a huge waste-to-energy plant operated by the Warsan Waste Management Company.

  • Roaming Black Bear Amazes Residents of Michigan Beach Town

    A black bear was seen wandering the streets of Ludington, Michigan, on Thursday, May 16, before police said it returned to its natural habitat.Footage recorded by Trinja Henrickson shows the bear as residents of the beach town look on in amazement.Henrickson told Storyful she was heading to work when she heard about the bear on the loose, and stopped to look for it when she happened to spot it coming down an alleyway.The animal was first reported more than a mile away.The Ludington Police Department said on Thursday that the bear had “safely returned to its natural habitat.” Credit: Trinja Henrickson via Storyful

  • Residents of Canadian oil town menaced by wildfire can return home

    Residents of the Canadian oil town threatened by an out-of-control wildfire can return home, authorities said Saturday, even as they warned the community will have to contend with the blaze for the foreseeable future. Thousands of residents of Fort McMurray, in northern Alberta, had been ordered to leave their homes earlier this month. "With the current and forecast weather conditions, specifically the amount of rain that has fallen on the fire, combined with continued fire suppression and community protection efforts, I am pleased to announce it is now safe for us to end the current evacuation and allow people to return to their homes," said Sandy Bowman, mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo that includes Fort McMurray.

  • Alberta government spending $50M on 3 new water intake facilities

    The Alberta government is spending $50.5 million over five years to cover up to 30 per cent of construction and associated infrastructure costs for three new water intake facilities.The facilities will serve projects operating in Alberta's Industrial Heartland (AIH), which is the province's first and currently only Designated Industrial Zone (DIZ).The province's website defines DIZs as areas "targeted for strategic investment and development of clustered industrial development and economic diver

  • Gas prices fall in cities across Canada, while OPEC meeting looms

    Nationally, the average cost of gasoline dropped three cents in the past week.

  • One week ago, the northern lights stunned America. When will it happen again?

    Even though experts say conditions are primed for more aurora shows over the next few years, predicting exactly when and where is a challenge.

  • Ford begs suppliers to help stem EV losses: 'We will all win or lose together'

    Ford is soliciting manufacturing money-saving ideas for its electric vehicles in a new memo sent this week.

  • Residents say parasite outbreak in Devon's water network has 'destroyed' business

    Business owners in Devon have said the outbreak of a waterborne disease has partially "destroyed" their livelihoods - as South West Water offered residents an increased amount of compensation. Around 16,000 households and businesses in Brixham have been told to boil their drinking water after the water company found small traces of the parasite cryptosporidium - which causes cryptosporidiosis - in the Hillhead reservoir. At least 46 people are confirmed to have the disease, while as many as 70 other cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in are also under investigation, the UK Health Security Agency said.

  • Northern Ontario faces severe storm risk Saturday

    Northern Ontario is bracing for severe storms that may bring intense winds, heavy rainfall, and the possibility of large hail. Meteorologist Rhythm Reet from The Weather Network provides updates on the anticipated storm's timing and potential impacts, helping residents prepare for the adverse weather conditions.

  • Alligator Causes Double Trouble for North Carolina Deputies

    There was double trouble for deputies in North Carolina on May 13 as they had to remove a large alligator from a highway not once, but twice in the same day.“Our deputies never know what they’ll be called to handle!” the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.The “big fella” was “hanging out” near the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, they said. “Thankfully, the alligator was kept safe from the traffic, and motorists were kept safe from the alligator!” Credit: Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office via Storyful